Poems
A Cavalier Song
Bidding the crop-headed Parliament swing:
And, pressing a troop unable to stoop
And see the rogues flourish and honest folk droop,
Marched them along, fifty score strong,
Great-hearted gentlemen, singing this song.
God for King Charles! Pym and such carles
To the Devil that prompts ’em their treasonous parles!
Cavaliers, up! Lips from the cup,
Hands from the pasty, nor bite take nor sup
Till you’re—
(Chorus)
Marching along, fifty-score strong,
Great-hearted gentlemen, singing this song.
Hampden to hell, and his obsequies’ knell.
Serve Hazelrig, Fiennes, and young Harry as well!
England, good cheer! Rupert is near!
Kentish and loyalists, keep we not here
(Chorus)
Marching along, fifty-score strong,
Great-hearted gentlemen, singing this song?
Then, God for King Charles! Pym and his snarls
To the Devil that pricks on such pestilent carles!
Hold by the right, you double your might;
So, onward to Nottingham, fresh for the fight,
(Chorus)
March we along, fifty-score strong,
Great-hearted gentlemen, singing this song!
- Historical Context: Reflects 17th-century conflicts but filters them through Victorian-era Romantic medievalism, exaggerating Cavalier chivalry while oversimplifying Roundheads as villains.
- Form and Structure: Uses a marching rhythm with tetrameter and a recurring chorus to mimic a wartime ballad, creating immediacy. Repetition of “fifty-score strong” amplifies militaristic bravado.
- Browning’s Stylistic Contrast: Unlike his introspective dramatic monologues (“My Last Duchess”), this poem lacks psychological depth, prioritizing rhythmic momentum and partisan rallying cries over moral ambiguity.
- Deviation from Victorian Norms: Rejects the era’s introspection and social critique (e.g., Arnold, Tennyson) for unabashed polemic, aligning more with earlier Romantic nationalism.
- Lesser-Known Angle: The poem’s bluster may subtly undercut its heroes—excessive swagger could hint at Cavalier naivete, a rare irony in Browning’s canon.
- Place in Browning’s Work: Among his lesser-read “Cavalier Tunes,” it stands out for its uncharacteristic lack of nuance, functioning as a rhythmic artifact rather than philosophical exploration.
- Ideological Ambiguity: While ostensibly Royalist, the exaggerated vitriol (“Hampden to hell”) may critique blind factionalism, resonating with Browning’s skepticism of absolutism elsewhere.
Robert Browning
(7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical settings and challenging vocabulary and syntax.
His early long poems Pauline (1833) and Paracelsus (1835) were acclaimed, but his reputation dwindled for a time – his 1840 poem Sordello was seen as wilfully obscure – and took over a decade to recover, by which time he had moved from Shelleyan forms to a more personal style. In 1846, he married fellow poet Elizabeth Barrett and moved to Italy. By her death in 1861, he had published the collection Men and Women (1855). His Dramatis Personae (1864) and book-length epic poem The Ring and the Book (1868–1869) made him a leading poet. By his death in 1889, he was seen as a sage and philosopher-poet who had fed into Victorian social and political discourse. Societies for studying his work survived in Britain and the US into the 20th century.
