Browning's Men and women Author:Robert Browning Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: AFTER Take the cloak from his face, and at first Let the corpse do its worst. How he lies in his rights of a man ! Death has done all death can. And ab... more »sorbed in the new life he leads, He recks not, he heeds Nor his wrong nor my vengeance—both strike On his senses alike, And are lost in the solemn and strange Surprise of the change. Ha, what avails death to erase His offence, my disgrace ? I would we were boys as of old In the field, by the fold— His outrage, God's patience, man's scorn Were so easily borne. I stand here now, he lies in his pla Cover the face. chapter{Section 4IN THREE DAYS So, I shall see her in three days And just one night, but nights are short, Then two long hours, and that is morn. See how I come, unchanged, unworn— Feel, where my life broke off from thine, How fresh the splinters keep and fine,— Only a touch and we combine ! Too long, this time of year, the days! But nights—at least the nights are short. As night shows where her one moon is, A hand's-breadth of pure light and bliss, So, life's night gives my lady birth And my eyes hold her ! what is worth The rest of heaven, the rest of earth ? O loaded curls, release your store Of warmth and scent as once before The tingling hair did, lights and darks Out-breaking into fairy sparks When under curl and curl I pried After the warmth and scent inside Thro' lights and darks how manifold— The dark inspired, the light controlled ! As early Art embrowned the gold. What great fear—should one say, " Three days That change the world, might change as well Your fortune ; and if joy delays, Be happy that no worse befell." What small fear—if another says, " Three days and one short night beside May throw no shadow on your ways ; But years must tee...« less