Fears and Scruples by Robert Browning
A speaker recalls loving an unseen friend through letters and reports of his deeds, but the friend remains absent while others question the evidence. Grateful for the dream despite these doubts, the speaker considers a warning that the friend might punish those who cannot see him, then asks whether this friend could be God.
By Robert Browning · Genre: Religious Poetry, Dramatic Monologue, Philosophical Poetry · 623 words
First lines
Here's my case. Of old I used to love him, / This same unseen friend, before I knew: / Dream there was none like him, none above him, -- / Wake to hope and trust my dream was true.
Loved I not his letters full of beauty? / Not his actions famous far and wide? / Absent, he would know I vowed him duty; / Present, he would find me at his side.
Genres
- Religious Poetry — The closing question connects devotion to the unseen friend with belief in God and the prospect of punishment for failing to perceive him.
- Dramatic Monologue — A first-person speaker presents a personal case, quotes objections from others, and addresses a listener while defending continued attachment.
- Philosophical Poetry — The speaker weighs letters, hearsay, disputed authorship, and absence as evidence, then questions the fairness of blame for not seeing.
Tags
faith · doubt · unseen friend · evidence · letters · divine judgment
What this Textopian page supports
Fears and Scruples is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Browning, dated Date unknown.
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- Work type: Poem
- Author: Robert Browning
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Religious Poetry, Dramatic Monologue, Philosophical Poetry
- Length: 623 words
- Structure: 1 section, 12 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Very Easy (5th Grade or below)
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- Work identity for Fears and Scruples by Robert Browning
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