Analysis of 'Love Among the Ruins'

How to Survive an Apocalypse

Where the quiet-coloured end of evening smiles,

Miles and miles

On the solitary pastures where our sheep

Half-asleep

Tinkle homeward thro' the twilight, stray or stop

As they crop—

Was the site once of a city great and gay,

(So they say)

Of our country's very capital, its prince

Ages since

Held his court in, gathered councils, wielding far

Peace or war.

Now the country does not even boast a tree,

As you see,

To distinguish slopes of verdure, certain rills

From the hills

Intersect and give a name to, (else they run

Into one)

Where the domed and daring palace shot its spires

Up like fires

O'er the hundred-gated circuit of a wall

Bounding all

Made of marble, men might march on nor be prest

Twelve abreast.

And such plenty and perfection, see, of grass

Never was!

Such a carpet as, this summer-time, o'er-spreads

And embeds

Every vestige of the city, guessed alone,

Stock or stone—

Where a multitude of men breathed joy and woe

Long ago;

Lust of glory pricked their hearts up, dread of shame

Struck them tame;

And that glory and that shame alike, the gold

Bought and sold.

Now—the single little turret that remains

On the plains,

By the caper overrooted, by the gourd

Overscored,

While the patching houseleek's head of blossom winks

Through the chinks—

Marks the basement whence a tower in ancient time

Sprang sublime,

And a burning ring, all round, the chariots traced

As they raced,

And the monarch and his minions and his dames

Viewed the games.

And I know, while thus the quiet-coloured eve

Smiles to leave

To their folding, all our many-tinkling fleece

In such peace,

And the slopes and rills in undistinguished grey

Melt away—

That a girl with eager eyes and yellow hair

Waits me there

In the turret whence the charioteers caught soul

For the goal,

When the king looked, where she looks now, breathless, dumb

Till I come.

But he looked upon the city, every side,

Far and wide,

All the mountains topped with temples, all the glades'

Colonnades,

All the causeys, bridges, aqueducts,—and then

All the men!

When I do come, she will speak not, she will stand,

Either hand

On my shoulder, give her eyes the first embrace

Of my face,

Ere we rush, ere we extinguish sight and speech

Each on each.

In one year they sent a million fighters forth

South and North,

And they built their gods a brazen pillar high

As the sky

Yet reserved a thousand chariots in full force—

Gold, of course.

O heart! oh blood that freezes, blood that burns!

Earth's returns

For whole centuries of folly, noise and sin!

Shut them in,

With their triumphs and their glories and the rest!

Love is best.

Dear readers,

Welcome back!

Love Among the Ruins is the first poem in Robert Browning’s collection Men and Women and acts as a foreword to the following poems.

Imagine you’re a debutante at a ball hosted by Robert Browning. There are all of these people who know each other and it’s intimidating. One day you will be one of them but today is not that day. The easter eggs hiding in plain sight are just decorations at this point. Browning’s nemesis the rigid Victorian Society seated in a shadowy corner cannot be missed. Far away from her, the Seven Deadly Sins tempt and beckon any newcomer but Browning has hidden them behind a partition screen of Dramatic Irony. Possession is trapped between the Sins and the Society, unable to choose between his two cronies. Feminism and Love, kindred spirits of Robert Browning are the lives of all of his parties including this one. Ecofeminism, one of Feminism’s daughters peeps out from behind her mother’s skirts at intervals. Destruction is met at every turn but Time is at his heels, cleaning up after his messes as usual. Once Time has succeeded in evicting Destruction, he begins to make his rounds. Round and round he goes reminding guests of their duties and Desires until they fade away. With a sharp pop, Time leaves, albeit temporarily, and Love alone remains by your side. You smile and greet her as an old friend now and enjoy this moment free from Time’s jealous eye.

Requirements-

• Evening smiles

• Solitary pastures

• Sheep

• A great city

• A dashing prince

• Rills and hills

• A looming palace

• A lust for glory aka greed

• Gold

• A single turret

• A fireproof chariot

• A monarch and his minions

• Eager eyes

• Yellow hair

• A girl

• Temples

• Collonades

• Causeys, bridges and aqueducts

• A million fighters

• A tall brazen pillar

• Noise

• Sin

• And LOVE.

• Title

Love Among the Ruins is a very interesting poem as it has a lot of similarities to other poems by Robert Browning, like the themes of love, time and nature but it also breaks away from his traditional style as it proclaims, loud and clear that “Love is best.’ Browning utilises the dramatic monologue technique as it allows him to see things in another person’s perspective, he never comments, judges or supports anything done by his characters. He merely shows the world another perspective. However, this poem has an obvious message, one which seems to be his personal belief. Browning believes in the power of love and how it is the only force strong enough to survive over time. He is fascinated by it, similar to how the speaker is fascinated by the past, as it is something intangible and tough to understand, nevertheless always present. Much like the past, love will always exist in the world. Since he is communicating his thoughts so clearly, it is possible that he himself is the speaker of the poem, welcoming his readers to his collection-‘Men and Women’(this poem is the first in the collection). The title is also very similar to the title of another poem written by him, namely ‘Among the Rocks’, another poem that shares Browning’s philosophy to the world.

• Setting

The setting of the poem is slightly complicated because the speaker shifts seamlessly from present to past in each stanza. Although the location remains the same it is clear that time has wrought many changes on the landscape. While describing the present setting the speaker uses words like ‘quiet-coloured’ and ‘solitary pastures’ to paint the image of a calm, passive region without many claims to history. Throughout the entire poem, the present setting doesn’t change much but the speaker continues to add elements to the original picture. However, the image of the past undergoes constant change because the speaker is attempting to tell its entire history in a few stanzas. Even with no fixed setting, the readers can tell that the land was once a great, bustling, ever-expanding kingdom. Initially, the speaker describes the past setting as ‘great and gay’ and the site of many wars.

The speaker is said to be walking towards his lover at twilight- a time of great significance. Twilight is a time for revelations and wars. It means that night or danger is imminent hence it generally heralds some great disaster or the Grim Reaper.

The real-world location of the region described by Robert Browning has been much speculated. We believe that Browning was talking about the Eternal City’s past and present. There much evidence to support this opinion- the mention of chariots and races and spectators, collonades and aqueducts, and the reference to gods and temples (in the plural form).

• Meter

The longer lines of the poem are trochaic pentameters with feminine endings, while the shorter lines have two syllables The meter of a poem is called a pentameter when there are 10 syllables or 5 feet in each line of the poem. However, this poem has eleven syllables, giving it a feminine ending. This is significant as the last syllable makes the poem have a musical quality as it allows the reader to read the lines with full force but slowly exhale towards the end, similar to a sigh of relief. This is reminiscent of the way in which the lively civilization existed for a long time and upon its end resulted in a peaceful meadow.

• Rhyme Scheme

The poem has a simple AABB rhyme scheme. This means that it is composed of many couplets. This gives the poem a musical feel to it. This technique may have been used to emphasize the speaker’s fascination with the past. One may even assume that the speaker of the poem is Robert Browning himself, as he was deeply immersed in classics and history, especially that of Rome. This fascination for the past is so wondrous and almost innocent, that the past seems magical and perfect. Further, the rhyme scheme does not change throughout the poem, it strictly adheres to the rule, similar to the discipline that once existed in civilizations like in Rome.

• Tone

The tone of the poem is the result of a combination of the effects of various poetic devices like setting, diction, contrast, and imagery to name a few.

The setting of the poem is undeniably tied to the contrast and imagery. Robert Browning constantly pulls his readers first into the present and then back to the past. This contrast embodies the human paradox of a desire for excitement but a guaranteed ‘happily ever after. The happy ending is represented in the present time period of the poem when the Earth is healing herself and the lovers reunite. The rush of emotions and adventure is described in the past where Browning uses diction to convey a motif of danger and violence. Certain words stand out and give the readers the addictive spark of adrenaline- ‘wielding’, ‘fires’, ‘pricked their hearts up’, ‘burning ring’, ‘caught soul’, ‘fighters’, and ‘brazen pillar’ are just a few.

This feeling of attraction in opposite directions ends up leaving readers disoriented which is possibly why the poem ends on a strong, didactic note. The change in tone from quiet musings and historical rambles changes to a forceful command to ensure that the message of the poem does not get lost in translation.

• Contrast

The poem is a part of the collection, ‘Men and Women’ a title with a contrasting binary and one of Robert Browning’s personal obsessions- the idea of men and women and their roles in society. The poem itself seems full of contrasts, starting with its title which presents two images (one of love and one of ruin) and two sounds (one smooth and mellow and the other harsh and violent).

Each stanza presents a binary in terms of setting- one in the past and one in the present. The past and present pictures differ to a large extent. The present is said to be ‘quiet-coloured’ and the past is painted as ‘great and gay’ in the first stanza. The present seems calmer than the past that is filled with disturbing imagery and violence-inciting diction.

In the following stanza, there is a motif of upward movement when the speaker describes the past and in the present, rolling hills that have no particular direction or purpose are mentioned. We believe that the entire poem is a metaphor for Victorian society and that Robert Browning is predicting the downfall of society. With this interpretation in mind, the people in the ancient city of the poem were, like the Victorian society, aiming for perfection and hence aimed for the skies and moved upwards with society as the propulsive force. Robert Browning presents a different time when people cease to aim for perfection but instead allow themselves to grow without societal pressures to contrast the time period in which he lived.

In the third stanza, there is a mention of grass in the present time and gold in the past. The gold used in trade must have been mined from underground involving digging the earth. The grass in the present time is a symbol that the earth has recovered and is slowly healing itself- an idea with strong strains of ecofeminism. Thus, the grass and gold mentioned are binaries.

In the fourth stanza, the image of being alone in the present and being part of a group in the past is emphasized. Browning draws our attention to the ‘single little turret that remains’ in the very first line of the stanza and places the image of ‘the monarch and his minions and his dames’ in contrast to the lone turret on the hill. The repetition of ‘and’ in the second half of the stanza strengthens the idea of togetherness in the past.

These binaries are not limited to the imagery in the poem but can be seen in the contrast between the beginning and the ending of the poem. The poem begins on a calm note, a dimly lit landscape spotted with vegetation and undulating hills. The contrasting images that crop up through the poem lead the readers to a point where even the ordinary homecoming is rife with intense emotions. The poem itself acts as a crescendo building up to the end when the lovers are reunited to emphasize Robert Browning’s philosophy and the last line of the poem- ‘Love is best!”

• Symbolism

Browning uses symbolism in the poem to add a secondary layer of meaning below the surface level of understanding. In the very first stanza, the speaker mentions sheep that are a common symbol of peace, purity, and innocence. Thus Robert Browning uses sheep to make the present landscape seem peaceful, pure, and innocent.

Later in the poem, gold, a symbol of wealth and prosperity, is frequently mentioned. It could also symbolize the growth of the city and its trade prospects. Furthermore, gold is a precious metal extracted from deep underground and hence involves much harm to the earth. Therefore, Browning establishes themes of eco-feminism.

Another symbol in the poem is the single turret which is all that remains when the city is razed. Towers generally represent power which is why it was the seat of the king in ancient times. At present, it is the woman who is waiting and watching in the tower in the place of the king. This could have been Browning’s way of predicting the end result of the feminist movement.

Whenever the woman is mentioned in the poem, a motif of eyes or watching follows her. Eyes are the most honest parts of one’s body and are often called ‘windows to the soul’. This reveals the woman’s character and the nature of her relationship with the speaker. This repetition of eyes is one of the clues which leads the readers to believe that the love between two lovers was strong and true.

Towards the end of the poem there is a curious line- ‘All the causeys, bridges, aqueducts,—and then/ All the men!’ Every space mentioned in this line has something to do with water and each one is smaller or narrower than the last. It is only after mentioning the tightest space- the underground aqueducts- that Browning refers to the men. This could mean that the people gave their city higher importance than their sense of self. It could also be interpreted in a more horrifying way- that the city was squeezing out any humanity left in the people and washing it away.

• Imagery

By making use of imagery, Robert Browning paints us a vivid picture we can see, tells us a story we can hear, and invokes palpable emotions in our hearts. He uses visual, auditory and tactile imagery to transport us to the exact location and transfix us. When contrasting the past and the present situations, imagery is inevitably one of the criteria.

While describing the present, the speaker makes use of pastoral imagery. Pastoral imagery brings to mind the simplicity, charm, or serenity generally attributed to rural areas. There is minimal movement and all the elements seem to be passive. The use of pastoral imagery gives the present image its tranquil atmosphere.

By the same token, kinesthetic imagery is more prominent when the past is mentioned. There always seems to be some movement in the past- the movement of men, the movement of money, the movement of the chariots. The elements of the past image seem more active and energetic; they participate in frenzied, perpetual motion.

• Alliteration and Consonance

Robert Browning extensively uses phonetic devices like alliteration and consonance in the poem Love Among the Ruins. Both the past and present are filled with soft and hard sounds but they are in reverse order.

When the speaker describes the present, he begins with t consonance in the line, ‘Tinkle homeward thro' the twilight,’ but the harshness of the sounds soften. The ‘th’ sound of thro’ is softer than the sound in ‘Tinkle’ and the t sound in ‘twilight’ is softer than in thro’. T sounds have often been related to the sound of a heart beating, thus, we can infer that the speaker is calming down as he is returning to his lover. After this, the tide turns and the sounds in the present become progressively harsher. Browning uses l consonance in the second stanza followed by p alliteration in the fourth stanza and finally b alliteration at the very end of the poem. This usage of phonetic devices builds the readers into a frenzy and adds to the crescendo effect of the poem.

In the past, however, the speaker begins with harsher sounds and fades into softer ones. In the first stanza, the most prominent phonetic device is the guttural g alliteration in the phrase, ‘great and gay’. In the next stanza, the speaker uses d alliteration followed by m alliteration. The two sounds have very different effects, the d sound invoking feelings of despair and the m sound giving an air of dreamy perfection. This is where the switch occurs from the ancient city being a tangible and terrifying image to it being a thing of the past so to say. The m sound is the only phonetic device used in relation to the past.

Robert Browning possibly used these phonetic devices in the opposite order for the present and past images in order to advise readers to leave the past behind them and look toward a brighter future.

• Form

The form of this poem is very interesting as the length of the lines alternate, with the longer lines having 11 syllables and the shorter having 3. The alternating lines have a profound effect on the poem as it creates a visible contrast. Upon reading the poem, it is understood that it compares a past civilization, one that is long gone but once flourished, to a simple field of grass that has covered its remains. Perhaps the longer, more complex, and imposing lines symbolize the past civilization that was overtaken by sin and greed while the shorter lines could be an allusion to the simple field of grass that serves as food for goats. The longer lines are like a looming shadow over the shorter ones, like how the rich history of that land overshadows its present.

Further, the short lines allow the quick succession of syllables, hurrying the reader back to the long lines and quickening the pace of the poem. If the longer lines symbolize the past then it is possible that the speaker is fascinated by the past, therefore, tends to dwell on it. It also emphasizes how fast time goes by.

Each stanza of the poem is roughly divided into two parts- the first being about the past while the second is a comparison to the present except in the fifth stanza where he describes his lover for most of the stanza and comments about a King of the past only in the last two lines. Perhaps he was so overwhelmed by emotion and love for his partner that it led to a break in the form of the poem. This could emphasize on the power of love and how it seems to overcome and surpass everything.

• Historical relevance

The way in which the poem has been written has made it open to many interpretations. Perhaps the poem is a critique of Victorian society which greatly valued perfection and luxuries, not the smaller things in life. This mindset is similar to the people described in the poem, the Prince, the King, and the merchants all perished because their greed overpowered their thoughts which soon, like the decrease in size of waterways from causeys to aqueducts, became streamlined and focused on nothing but wealth. The perfect rhyme scheme seems to mock the Victorian quest for perfection and Browning almost seems to say that this mad rush for the unattainable will lead to nothing but misery. Further, the rhyme scheme may also be a reflection of the strict rules imposed on the people in society, where people were supposed to follow everything perfectly or fear being ostracised. The marble wall mentioned in the poem is like a cage and could be a reflection of the repressive society Browning lived in and the soldiers marching in unison could be a reference to how everyone in that society was expected to behave in the same manner. He could also be condemning high society and all their flairs by calling the King ‘dumb’.

If the past civilization represented the Victorian society then it is possible that the open pastures represent the modern-day

. Perhaps the poem is also Browning’s hopes and predictions of his future, where the people are not caged and repressed because of society and are free and liberated like the open and unrestrained meadow.

In this manner, Robert Browning begins his collection, Men and Women. This poem is the prelude to readers in what we feel is Browning’s own voice. It is certainly very difficult to distinguish the speaker from the poet here. Their voices mingle and intertwine until all that remains is an intensity of feeling that cannot be ignored and a universal truth concerning love. Although the last line of the poem is extremely powerful, the lines preceding it are more curious and thought-provoking. ‘For whole centuries of folly, noise and sin!/ Shut them in,/ With their triumphs and their glories and the rest!’ They lend themselves to many more interpretations. Robert Browning may have been speaking of the ancient civilizations of yore and how the past ought to remain in the past. He may have been speaking generally and advising that the only way to move forward is to not look back. Browning may have even been commanding his readers to leave their expectations for ‘Men and Women’ based on works of previous poets at the door before going on this journey with him. This may have been his own way of warning the readers of the uniquely peculiar style of writing which was wholly his. Of all the many words that describe Robert Browning, the poet, we believe that controversial is most fitting.