“Porphyria’s Lover”
The rain set early in tonight,
The sullen wind was soon awake,
It tore the elm-tops down for spite,
and did its worst to vex the lake:
I listened with heart fit to break. 5
When glided in Porphyria; straight
She shut the cold out and the storm,
And kneeled and made the cheerless grate
Blaze up, and all the cottage warm;
Which done, she rose, and from her form 10
Withdrew the dripping cloak and shawl,
And laid her soiled gloves by, untied
Her hat and let the damp hair fall,
And, last, she sat down by my side
And called me. When no voice replied, 15
She put my arm about her waist,
And made her smooth white shoulder bare,
And all her yellow hair displaced,
And, stooping, made my cheek lie there,
And spread, o’er all, her yellow hair, 20
Murmuring how she loved me—she
Too weak, for all her heart’s endeavor,
To set its struggling passion free
From pride, and vainer ties dissever,
And give herself to me forever. 25
But passion sometimes would prevail,
Nor could tonight’s gay feast restrain
A sudden thought of one so pale
For love of her, and all in vain:
So, she was come through wind and rain. 30
Be sure I looked up at her eyes
Happy and proud; at last I knew
Porphyria worshiped me: surprise
Made my heart swell, and still it grew
While I debated what to do. 35
That moment she was mine, mine, fair,
Perfectly pure and good: I found
A thing to do, and all her hair
In one long yellow string I wound
Three times her little throat around, 40
And strangled her. No pain felt she;
I am quite sure she felt no pain.
As a shut bud that holds a bee,
I warily oped her lids: again
Laughed the blue eyes without a stain. 45
And I untightened next the tress
About her neck; her cheek once more
Blushed bright beneath my burning kiss:
I propped her head up as before
Only, this time my shoulder bore 50
Her head, which droops upon it still:
The smiling rosy little head,
So glad it has its utmost will,
That all it scorned at once is fled,
And I, its love, am gained instead! 55
Porphyria’s love: she guessed not how
Her darling one wish would be heard.
And thus we sit together now,
And all night long we have not stirred,
And yet God has not said a word! 60
The sullen wind was soon awake,
It tore the elm-tops down for spite,
and did its worst to vex the lake:
I listened with heart fit to break. 5
When glided in Porphyria; straight
She shut the cold out and the storm,
And kneeled and made the cheerless grate
Blaze up, and all the cottage warm;
Which done, she rose, and from her form 10
Withdrew the dripping cloak and shawl,
And laid her soiled gloves by, untied
Her hat and let the damp hair fall,
And, last, she sat down by my side
And called me. When no voice replied, 15
She put my arm about her waist,
And made her smooth white shoulder bare,
And all her yellow hair displaced,
And, stooping, made my cheek lie there,
And spread, o’er all, her yellow hair, 20
Murmuring how she loved me—she
Too weak, for all her heart’s endeavor,
To set its struggling passion free
From pride, and vainer ties dissever,
And give herself to me forever. 25
But passion sometimes would prevail,
Nor could tonight’s gay feast restrain
A sudden thought of one so pale
For love of her, and all in vain:
So, she was come through wind and rain. 30
Be sure I looked up at her eyes
Happy and proud; at last I knew
Porphyria worshiped me: surprise
Made my heart swell, and still it grew
While I debated what to do. 35
That moment she was mine, mine, fair,
Perfectly pure and good: I found
A thing to do, and all her hair
In one long yellow string I wound
Three times her little throat around, 40
And strangled her. No pain felt she;
I am quite sure she felt no pain.
As a shut bud that holds a bee,
I warily oped her lids: again
Laughed the blue eyes without a stain. 45
And I untightened next the tress
About her neck; her cheek once more
Blushed bright beneath my burning kiss:
I propped her head up as before
Only, this time my shoulder bore 50
Her head, which droops upon it still:
The smiling rosy little head,
So glad it has its utmost will,
That all it scorned at once is fled,
And I, its love, am gained instead! 55
Porphyria’s love: she guessed not how
Her darling one wish would be heard.
And thus we sit together now,
And all night long we have not stirred,
And yet God has not said a word! 60
Notes
Devices: These terms will help you understand “Porphyria’s Lover”. We will define them, discuss them, and explore how Browning used them to create this poem.
Rhyme Scheme:
Feminine:
Masculine:
Oblique/Slant/Near Rhyme:
Rhythm (Foot) and Meter:
Paradox:
Setting:
Alliteration:
Inversion (Anastrophe):
Enjambment:
Repetition (Epistrophe):
Simile:
Personification:
Poetic Style and Genre: There are many different types of poems such as sonnets, odes, haikus. Some forms of poetry have stylistic rules that poets follow strictly to show they have control over their art. We will learn many of these styles and their characteristics in order to help us understand some of the added meaning that comes from style and genre.
Dramatic Monologue:
Setting:
Characters:
Speaker:
Plot:
Point of View:
Cinquains:
Interpretation/Meaning: This perhaps is the most interesting and challenging part of reading literature because we all bring our own experiences to a poem, yes the reader is a big part of relationship a poem creates. At first we will read formally using traditional methods that will help us understand a poem; as we become more mature readers, we will explore broader interpretations because we will have the experience of other readings.
Poet:
Literary Era/Period:
Exploratory questions:
1. Lines 1-4 reveal the setting outside the cottage. What is the weather like?
2. The wind is personified in lines 1-4. What is the wind’s doing to the elm trees and the lake? What does it mean to be “sullen”?
3. In line 5, the speaker reveals that his heart is ready to break. What might be the source of his aching?
4. Lines 5-15 bring in Porphyria. What does she do before she even speaks?
5. In line 7, what do the sounds found in the alliteration seem to imitate?
6. The visual imagery in lines 8-15 concentrates on Porphyria. What movements show that Porphyria planned to stay for some extended time?
7. The tactile imagery in lines 8-9 cause a change to be noticed in temperature. What juxtaposition is created between inside the cottage and outside?
8. The speaker chooses to stay silent when Porphyria “called” him. What does Porphyria do to entice him?
9. The word “murmuring” (line 21) is onomatopoeic. What is Porphyria murmuring?
10. Lines 21-25 reveal that Porphyria cannot fully commit herself to the speaker because of some weakness he perceives in her. What is meant by “pride” and “vainer ties”? Are these her weakness?
11. Line 26 reveals that Porphyria is driven to see the speaker by _____________.
12. Lines 31-35 show that the speaker feels happiness and pride when he looks “up at her eyes.” What does her look do to his heart?
13. The speaker decides to capture the moment Porphyria “perfectly pure and good” loved the speaker. What did he do to keep that moment forever?
14. Porphyria had wished to be with the speaker forever. What is the paradoxical way that “Her darling one wish” is granted?
15. Lines 59-60 bring in the idea of being punished for doing evil. What has God done to the speaker now that he killed Porphyria?
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