The Poetical Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Volume 2

In Short

This volume brings together dynamic narrative ballads, dramatic monologues, and deeply introspective lyric poetry from the Victorian era. The collection ranges from gothic tales of tragic love and supernatural pacts to sharp social critiques of child labor and American slavery. Through historical romances, maternal laments, and philosophical reflections on nature and art, the work charts the soul’s struggle between mortal desire and spiritual salvation. It endures as a masterclass in Victorian poetic form, celebrated for its emotional intensity, formal innovation, and unwavering commitment to addressing the moral crises of its age.

The Story

The volume opens with a series of dramatic narrative poems steeped in folklore, medievalism, and gothic atmosphere. "The Romaunt of Margret" introduces a maiden sitting by a river whose reflected shadow separates from the water to confront her with mortal despair and ghostly isolation. "Isobel's Child" presents a agonizing maternal vigil over a sick infant; as the mother prays desperately for her child’s life, the infant briefly gains miraculous speech, pleading to be released to heaven rather than forced to endure the sorrows of earth, leading the mother to surrender her selfish prayers as the child quietly dies.

Moving into chivalric romance, "The Romaunt of the Page" tells of a devoted woman disguised as a male page who secretly accompanies her knightly husband to the Crusades. When Paynim enemies surround her, she hides her identity to protect her lord's retreat, choosing a noble, violent death over survival without recognition. In "The Lay of the Brown Rosary," a young woman named Onora makes a unholy pact with an evil spirit over a ghostly nun's rosary to preserve her earthly life and marry her love, only for her wedding procession to unravel in tragic supernatural judgment. "Rhyme of the Duchess May" depicts a desperate siege where a newlywed noblewoman refuses to surrender to an unwanted suitor, choosing instead to leap to her death from the castle battlements on horseback beside her husband.

As the collection shifts toward contemporary social realities, the narrative tone turns sharply critical. "Lady Geraldine's Courtship" presents a class-conscious romance written from the perspective of a low-born poet who passionately confesses his love to a wealthy noblewoman, experiencing an agonizing collapse before discovering his devotion is returned. "The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim's Point" delivers a devastating monologue of an escaped enslaved woman who recounts the murder of her lover, her own brutal assault, and the agonizing mercy-killing of her light-skinned child before defying her pursuers. "The Cry of the Children" condemns industrial child labor, portraying young factory workers crushed by endless toil and deprived of faith in a merciful God.

The final movements turn inward toward philosophical, natural, and elegiac themes. Poems like "An Island" and "The Soul's Travelling" explore idealized nature as a refuge from urban noise, though the speaker ultimately recognizes that human grief cannot be escaped through scenery alone. The collection concludes with tributes to fellow female writers, including Felicia Hemans and L.E.L. (Lætitia Elizabeth Landon), meditating on the tragic isolation of the female artist and pointing toward divine love as the ultimate resolution for earthly longing.

How It Unfolds

The phantom confrontation A maiden sitting by a moonlit river observes her own shadow detached from the water, forcing her to confront the ghostly fragility of earthly affection and mortal existence.

The infant's miraculous plea A mother watching over her dying child surrenders her desperate prayers for his recovery after the baby speaks aloud, asking to enter heaven rather than face earthly suffering.

The page's ultimate sacrifice A woman disguised as a knight's page stays behind on the battlefield to delay advancing enemy forces, keeping her husband's name untarnished while accepting a violent, heroic death.

The ruined wedding march A bride who bound herself to a dark spirit using a cursed rosary watches her joyful marriage procession crumble as supernatural forces extract their terrible price at the chapel door.

The leap from the battlements Trapped within a besieged castle by a vengeful suitor, a duchess chooses to share her husband's fate, mounting his horse to leap off the high walls into the abyss below.

The poet's passionate outburst A low-born writer unleashes an agonizing confession of love and social resentment toward a high-born lady, collapsing from exhaustion before learning his affection is returned.

The runaway's tragic lament An escaped enslaved woman stands at Pilgrim's Point, recounting the horrific abuses she suffered and the loss of her child while defying the slave-hunters who encircle her.

The cry of the young workers A searing indictment details the physical ruin and spiritual despair of children forced into industrial coal mines and textile mills, crying out against societal neglect.

The retreat into visionary nature A weary soul envisions an uninhabited, lush island refuge, only to realize that nature cannot heal human grief without divine grace.

The tribute to fallen poets Meditation on the tragic deaths of contemporary female writers leads to a final reflection on fame, artistic calling, and the ultimate comfort of God's love.

The People

Margret A young noblewoman sitting beside a quiet river who is forced to face a haunting apparition of her own shadow. She desires absolute, unchanging love, but her ghostly double forces her to confront the fleeting nature of earthly devotion and the inevitability of death.

The Mother (in "Isobel's Child") An exhausted parent keeping a midnight watch over her gravely ill infant. She desperately prays for her child to live, but after hearing her baby speak of heavenly peace, she humbles her heart, surrenders her self-interest, and willingly lets him pass away.

The Female Page A fiercely devoted woman who disguises herself as a male page to follow her knightly husband, Sir Hubert, into battle. Wanting only to serve and protect the man she loves without demanding recognition, she ultimately sacrifices her life to hold off enemy troops while he escapes.

Onora A desperate young woman who makes a dark pact with an evil spirit using a ghostly nun's brown rosary. She desires living days and earthly marriage above all else, refusing to thank God in joy or seek Him in sorrow, which leads to spiritual ruin on her wedding day.

Duchess May A proud, resolute noblewoman who defies her rejected suitor, Lord Leigh, to marry her true love, Sir Guy. When their castle falls under siege, her unyielding courage leads her to jump from the castle walls alongside her husband rather than yield to her captors.

Bertram A brilliant but impoverished poet who falls deeply in love with the wealthy, high-born Lady Geraldine. Torn between his intense passion and his resentment of aristocratic pride, he exposes his soul in a fiery outburst that leaves him physically broken before discovering his love is reciprocated.

The Runaway Slave A deeply traumatized woman who escapes captivity after her lover is murdered and her child is born from violence. Seeking freedom and judgment at Pilgrim's Point, she asserts her human dignity and spiritual worth against the oppressive society that hunted her down.

In Its Own Voice

"The sun may shine and we be cold! / O hearken, loving hearts and bold, / Unto my wild romaunt." — An opening invocation calling listeners to pay attention to a dark ballad of human love and mortality.

"I changed the cruel prayer I made, / And bowed my meekened face, and prayed / That God would do His will; and thus / He did it, nurse! He parted us" — A grieving mother explaining how she surrendered her selfish desire to keep her dying infant alive.

"A heart once broken by the loved / Is strong to meet the foeman." — A heroine disguised as a page finding cold courage when facing fatal enemy swords on the battlefield.

What It's Really About

At its core, this volume investigates the painful tension between mortal attachments and spiritual duty. Across various dramatic scenarios, the collection asks whether human love—no matter how passionate, heroic, or noble—can ever truly satisfy the soul without aligning with divine authority. It explores how earthly joy is constantly shadowed by death, grief, and social injustice. Beyond personal devotion, the text mounts a fierce critique of societal cruelty, explicitly condemning industrial exploitation, racial tyranny, and class prejudice. Ultimately, the work argues that true strength lies in moral courage, self-abnegation, and surrendering narrow human desires to a broader divine will.

Why Read It Today

This collection remains an exceptional destination for readers drawn to Victorian literature, narrative poetry, and high-stakes dramatic storytelling. Elizabeth Barrett Browning crafts verse that is both technically ambitious and emotionally raw, seamlessly blending medieval gothic mystery with urgent contemporary social commentary. Readers who enjoy rich atmosphere, vivid historical settings, and complex psychological portraits will find themselves swept up in her dynamic rhythms and memorable heroines.

Modern readers should be prepared for the distinctive stylistic demands of 19th-century poetry. The work features dense archaisms, intricate rhyme schemes, heavy religious symbolism, and extended dramatic monologues that demand slow, attentive reading. Additionally, the text reflects Victorian moral frameworks and portrays severe themes—including infant mortality, violent medieval battles, child labor, and the brutal realities of chattel slavery. Yet these historical elements serve a grander purpose: Barrett Browning gives voice to the oppressed and marginalized with unprecedented moral clarity. Reading this volume today offers a profound encounter with a courageous literary voice who used the power of poetry to challenge the prejudices of her era.