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The Poetical Works of Robert Browning: Sordello. Pippa passes.
The Poetical Works of Robert Browning Sordello Pippa passes 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: PIPPA PASSES. New Year's Day At Asolo In The Trevisan. A large mean airy chamber. A girl, Pippa, from the silk-mills, springing out of bed. Faster and more... more » fast, O'er night's brim, day boils at last; Boils, pure gold, o'er the cloud-cup's brim Where spurting and suppressed it lay; For not a froth-flake touched the rim Of yonder gap in the solid gray Of the eastern cloud, an hour away; But forth one wavelet, then another, curled, Till the whole sunrise, not to be suppressed, Rose, reddened, and its seething breast Flickered in bounds, grew gold, then overflowed the world. Oh, Day, if I squander a wavelet of thee, A mite of my twelve-hours' treasure, 222 PIPPA PASSES. The least of thy gazes or glances, (Be they grants thou art bound to or gifts above measure) One of thy choices or one of .thy chances, (Be they tasks God imposed thee or /reaks at thy pleasure) —My Day, if I squander such labour or leisure, Then shame fall on Asolo, mischief on me ! Thy long blue solemn hours serenely flowing, Whence earth, we feel, gets steady help and good— Thy fitful sunshine-minutes, coming, going, As if earth turned from work in gamesome mood— All shall be mine ! But thou must treat me not As the prosperous are treated, those who live At hand here, and enjoy the higher lot, In readiness to take what thou wilt give, And free to let alone what thou refusest; For, Day, my holiday, if thou ill-usest Me, who am only Pippa,—old-year's sorrow, Cast off last night, will come again to-morrow: Whereas, if thou prove gentle, I shall borrow Sufficient strength of thee for new-year's sorrow. All other men and women that this earth Belongs to, who all days alike possess, Make general plenty cure particular dearth, Get more joy one way, if another, less : Thou art my single ...« less