Was Mr. Robert Browning Optimistic in his life?

[Swagatam Mandal 733202]

“In some time, his (God) good time, I shall arrive.”

The speech uttered by Robert Browning (1812AD-1889 AD) himself in Paracelsus, a creation of twenty two years Browning, is quite enough to show Browning‘s positive approach to live life. This spirit, will power, mental toughness, hope take him to the throne of fame after the delay of Thirty-Five years of misfortune, suffering started from Pauline (1883), his very fast creation. From the very first reorganization of his poetic genius exposed through The Ring and the Book to very last literary piece, Asolando (1889),in every literary respect, we can easily trace out Browning’s ideal optimism when we find him roared even at the twilight of his life, at an old age,-

“One who never turned his back but marched breast forward, …

Held we fall to rise, are battled to fight better”.

Therefore, we see a young man triumphs over fame after long struggle of thirty years; from there to his very last work, he keeps the same vigor up. In both of the period-because of the tremendous energy, hope, faith, courage, overall an optimist mind lifts him every time after every downfall. In addition, this spirit of optimism is undoubtedly present in The Last Ride Together, a small poem from the volume Men & Women (1855). Let us find out his optimism regarding The Last Ride Together

A. OPTIMISTIC VIEW TO LIFE:

In every respect of life, Browning is optimist. The short poem violets all short of optimism regarding-
I) Rejected Love: In narrator’s life “Each and Every “pleasure is the desired love from the lady he loves. Nevertheless, he fails to win the heart of the Lady and lives now in “Only the memory of the same”, the partial love attained from the last tried. This idea reveals his positive look to live life though he has lost everything- his beloved. Moreover, throughout the poem the partial love attained from the woman in last ride has been eternized, has been compared with the heaven attained. Therefore, the ‘memory’ in the disguise of rejection rather takes to attain the highest spiritual bliss- the heaven, instead of submerging the narrator under the ocean of grief. In addition, this spirit itself is positive, optimist. Therefore, in the way the ‘memory’ is also proves optimism.
II) Disability: In this art, we find the argument, consolation of the narrator in terms of physical limitations. Failure is universal truth where physical disability is the cause. The narrator rightly remarks-

“What hand and brain went ever paired?

What heart alive conceived and dared?

What act proved all its thought had been?

What will but failed the fleshly screen?”.-

When our hand, brain and soul do not agree together then we fail to achieve our ideals. Therefore, the body is a bar to the perfect realization of our visionary. In a way, he perhaps proves that, the cause of rejection is his ugly look: ‘failed the fleshly’.
So when the rejection has been eternized then the cause of rejection to, physical disability has been eternized too. In addition, this eternisation is based on positive spirit as we proved earlier. Show physical disability mentioned in the poem shows optimism. [cont.]