The Italian in England by Robert Browning
An Italian exile recalls hiding in a Lombard aqueduct while Austrian soldiers hunted him; a peasant woman brought him provisions and news of help from his Paduan friends, enabling his escape to the sea. Still devoted to Italy, he imagines revenge on Metternich and his former friend Charles, then wishes to revisit the woman who helped him. He dismisses these wishes and returns to business.
By Robert Browning · Genre: Dramatic Monologue, Narrative Poetry, Political Poetry · 1,770 words
First lines
That second time they hunted me / From hill to plain, from shore to sea, / And Austria, hounding far and wide / Her blood-hounds through the country-side, / Breathed hot and instant on my trace, -- / I made six days a hiding-place / Of that dry green old aqueduct / Where I and Charles, when boys, have plucked / The fire-flies from the roof above, / Bright creeping through the moss they love: / -- How long it seems since Charles was lost! / Six days the soldiers crossed and crossed / The country in my very sight; / And when that peril ceased at night, / The sky broke out in red dismay / With signal fires; well, there I lay / Close covered o'er in my recess, / Up to the neck in ferns and cress, / Thinking on Metternich our friend, / And Charles's miserable end, / And much beside, two days; the third, / Hunger o'ercame me when I heard / The peasants from the village go / To work among the maize; you know, / With us in Lombardy, they bring / Provisions packed on mules, a string / With little bells that cheer their task, / And casks, and boughs on every cask / To keep the sun's heat from the wine; / These I let pass in jingling line, / And, close on them, dear noisy crew, / The peasants from the village, too; / For at the very rear would troop / Their wives and sisters in a group / To help, I knew. When these had passed, / I threw my glove to strike the last, / Taking the chance: she did not start, / Much less cry out, but stooped apart, / One instant rapidly glanced round, / And saw me beckon from the ground; / A wild bush grows and hides my crypt; / She picked my glove up while she stripped / A branch off, then rejoined the rest / With that; my glove lay in her breast. / Then I drew breath: they disappeared: / It was for Italy I feared.
Genres
- Dramatic Monologue — An Italian fugitive addresses a listener, recounting his escape and revealing his distrust, violent wishes and gratitude.
- Narrative Poetry — Rhyming verse follows the speaker's concealment, encounter with a peasant woman and departure after help arrives.
- Political Poetry — The speaker opposes Austrian rule over Italy and presents the woman's assistance as service to their country.
Tags
Italian freedom · Austrian rule · political exile · peasant aid · betrayal · gratitude
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The Italian in England 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: Dramatic Monologue, Narrative Poetry, Political Poetry
- Length: 1,770 words
- Structure: 1 section, 5 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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