Prospice by Robert Browning (Text, Summary & Analysis)

 

Prospice

by Robert Browning

(Text, Summary & Analysis) 

Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him among the foremost Victorian poets. His poems are noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical settings and challenging vocabulary and syntax. His career began well, but shrank for a time. His renown took over a decade to return, by which time he had moved from Shelleyan forms to a more personal style. In 1846 Browning married the older poet Elizabeth Barrett and went to live in 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 British poet. He continued to write prolifically, but his reputation today rests mainly on his middle period. By his death in 1889, he was seen as a sage and philosopher-poet who had fed into Victorian social and political discourse.

Prospice

Fear death? – to feel the fog in my throat,

The mist in my face,

When the snows begin, and the blasts denote,

I am nearing the place,

The power of the night, the press of the storm,

The post of the foe,

Where he stands, the Arch Fear in a visible form,

Yet the strong man must go,

For the journey is done and the summit attained,

And the barriers fall;

Though a battle’s to fight ere the guerdon be gained,

The reward of it all,

I was ever a fighter, so-one fight more.

The best and the last!

I would hate that death bandaged my eyes, and forbore,

And bade me creep past,

No! let me taste the whole of it, if, fare like my peers,

The heroes of old

Bear the brunt, in a minute pay glad life’s arrears,

Of pain, darkness and cold.

For sudden the worst turns the best to the brave,

The black minute’s at end.

And the element’s rage, the fiend-voices that rave,

Shell dwindle, shall blend.

Shall change, shall become first a peace out of pain,

Then a light, then thy breast,

O thou soul of my soul! I shall clasp thee again

And with God be the rest!

Summary

The poet is not at all afraid of the physical troubles that come at the time of death. Though he may feel suffocation in his throat, a heaviness in his vision and a cold numbness creeping over his body, all showing that death is very near, yet he is not at all afraid of death. These symptoms of death cannot unnerve him. He may find it difficult to breathe and hard to see because of his blurred vision, yet it is his duty as a strong man to go forward and face with courage the severities and pains at the time of death.

During the course of our lives, we engaged in various kinds of activities and have achieved various kinds of honours and distinctions. We choose difficult adventures and take pleasure in overcoming them. There we prove the unconquerable nature of our spirit. But all the honours and glories which we acquire in life are only an introduction to our last fight with death. Like competitors in a race, who are awarded prizes at the end of the struggle, the rewards that await, come to us only after death has been overcome.

The poet says that death cannot treat him as a coward. He does not want any mercy at the hands of death. He will face death like a bold man and not like a coward. The poet says that throughout his life he has struggled with the numerous odds and difficulties of life. He has been a fighter in his life. He will gladly fight the last battle of his life with death. This battle against death would be the final battle of his life. It will also be the best battle because soon after death he will reach the kingdom of God and meet his beloved wife.

Earthly life is completed by our going to Heaven, where all the “broken arcs” are made into ‘perfect rounds’. The same idea is conveyed here in these lines in a somewhat different way. Browning says that even the heroes of antiquity had to face death and fight it bravely. We ordinary people should derive inspiration from them and be prepared to meet death bravely and cheerfully like them. If we do so, we can overcome it in one minute. It is like our first plunge into the cold of death water which is painful. Thereafter it is pleasant to be in the water. Also, death squares up all human accounts. Death appears to be frightening only when we are afraid of it. As a matter of fact, even the worst moment of death becomes enjoyable and appears to be the best to those who have got courage in them. After all, through death we pass into another life and pass into Heaven if we are brave. Shortly before death one feels as if a storm were blowing, it was raining and in the mind of the man, about to die, it appears as if demons were standing ready to take him to hell. But all this disturbance of the mind and heart gradually decreases. One feels a peace pervading through his entire personality. This peace then gives place to the feelings of joy. Then the dying man sees a light, the light of God and ultimately with the help of this light he is united with the one he loves.

Analysis

The poem ‘Prospice’ first appeared in Dramatist Personae in 1864. His wife had died in 1861. The poem is a tribute to her memory. It has been regarded as one of the most inspiring and original poems on the subject of death.

‘Prospice, is a Latin word. It means ‘to look forward’. It is an apt title for the poem. In this poem the poet is confident that he will conquer death. He ‘looks forward’ joyfully to his reunion with his wife. The poet compares the experience of climbing up a lofty mountain. A mountain climber has to face fog, mist snow storms etc. during his ascent. Like the climber, a man in this world has also to face physical and spiritual sufferings when he approaches death. To face death is the final battle of a man’s life in this world. And the man who puts up a heroic fight is fully rewarded for his bravery.

Throughout his life, the poet has been a fighter. Therefore, he is determined also to fight Death bravely. He does not want any mercy or leniency from Death. He does not want to die in a state of unconsciousness like some persons who die in a state of coma during their illness. These people fear Death. In a state of coma they are unaware of what is happening to them. The poet would like to be in a state of perfect awareness when death comes to him. He wants to taste all the pain and suffering which Death brings with it. He is ready to face any amount of suffering at the time of his death. In this way, he will be able to pay off all his arrears of life.

The poet is a brave man. He is an optimist. He knows that the worst will soon be over. All the pain, all the agony, all the torture will come to an end in no time. Within very short time, he will find all his suffering vanished. He will be reunited with his beloved wife who is waiting for him in heaven.

The poet looks forward to a battle with death. He expresses a heroic attitude towards death and he flings a challenge at it. He is not in the least afraid of death. He would like to experience all the pain and suffering of death. He does not wish to die in a state of coma or unconsciousness because that would mean creeping past death in a cowardly manner. He wants to taste all the grim horror of death. He would hear the raving of the fiend-voices and be in the very thick of fight. In all references to death in his poetry, Browning shows the same confident faith in the future. Death does not mean for him the close of life; it means the beginning of a new life. He believes in God and in heaven. He has a Christian philosophy of life which finds a brief but unambiguous expression in the lines in which he says that he will be re-united with his wife, who is waiting for him in heaven. According to Robert Browning death is only one stage in the unbroken, immoral life of the soul. Browning was a firm believer in God, in the immorality of the soul and in heaven.

In this poem we find Browning’s philosophy that love endures even after death and that we must be hopeful to meet our loved ones after death in the Kingdom of God. Browning’s poems on death possess the same note of confidence and love for the person concerned and the creator of this world. It is the love and faith in immortality of love, which enable the poet to believe in life after death and reunion with his dead wife in the Kingdom of god.

In Browning’s other poems related to God and death even his knaves and rogues have faith in God and rely upon His perfection and mercy. It is love which kindles and exacts both knowledge and power. Love harmonizes and unites all living beings.

The language of the poem is very simple, while the sentiments contained are universal and appeal to all. He reasserts his faith in God and not only forgets his sorrows, but looks forward to meet his wife in Heaven.