Protus by Robert Browning
A speaker examines the violet-adorned bust of the infant emperor Protus and reads a chronicle praising his childhood before abruptly recording John the Pannonian's seizure of the crown. An annotator supplies uncertain reports of Protus's survival and obscure later occupations, while the speaker ends by admiring John's rough granite likeness.
By Robert Browning · Genre: Narrative Poetry, Historical Poetry · 699 words
First lines
Among these latter busts we count by scores, / Half-emperors and quarter-emperors. / Bach with his bay-leaf fillet, loose-thonged vest, / Lorie and low-browed Gorgon on the breast, -- / One loves a baby face, with violets there, / Violets instead of laurel in the hair, / As those were all the little locks could bear.
Genres
- Narrative Poetry — Rhymed verse recounts Protus's imperial childhood, John's seizure of the crown, and uncertain reports of the displaced ruler's later life.
- Historical Poetry — Imperial busts, a quoted chronicle, and an annotator's hearsay provide competing records of a change of rulers.
Tags
imperial succession · infant emperors · portrait busts · historical chronicles · hearsay
What this Textopian page supports
Protus is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Browning, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Robert Browning
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Narrative Poetry, Historical Poetry
- Length: 699 words
- Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Protus by Robert Browning
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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