Elizabeth Barrett Browning. In the history of European literature it is a coincidence. Of those in which life and art are so closely linked as to constitute a fascinating whole. The talented English poet is in fact forced to make a courageous existential choice, which she makes despite her very fragile health and very deep sensitivity. In his daily life there is the strenuous defense from suffering. Emphasized, the latter, by the authoritarian character of the father who considers it inconceivable that his children escape the strict control that he imposes on them, especially after the death of his wife. Elizabeth’s story is singular from her earliest years. Together with a small crowd of brothers and sisters, he lives in Hope End, a large and well-to-do house. She is an impetuous and strong-willed child. Endowed with extraordinary intelligence and spontaneous irony, she is a very precocious talent. He has a penchant for reading, studying and poetry. His earliest writings are the buds of genius. Familiarly known as Ba, she collects notes about herself and her progress. Words reveal the feeling. She is proud. To the point that if she considers herself offended, small as she is, she takes refuge indignantly in a hatbox. It prefers white roses. In the garden he grows a bush of his own.
The disease, with its weight of suffering, comes to strike Ba treacherously. And he inaugurates the time of confinement, a fundamental trait of his youth. Kept almost a prisoner by the severe paternal vigilance, she dedicates long hours every day to reading and writing. He lives on poetry. With thought he builds his fictitious freedom. He escapes from awe of pain by weaving brilliant correspondence of letters. Meanwhile, the family leaves their beloved home to move to Sidmouth. There Ba discovers the joy of looking at the sea. In 1835, a second move took her to London. The encounter with the big city is not a happy one: «London is enveloped, like a mummy, in a yellow fog so thick that, since we arrived there, I have hardly caught a glimpse of its appearance». Ba is now 29 years old. His health, which improved during the time spent at sea, deteriorated again. When the family moves to Wimpole Street, she is a full-fledged invalid. She spends her days confined to her room. Then, a journey takes her to Torquay. At the seaside, the climate should help her. Instead, she has to face an excruciating pain: her brother Bro, whom she has kept with her, tragically dies during a boat trip. Ba confides in a letter: “For more than three months it was not possible for me to read or understand what I was told. My mind seemed to me to be torn apart. ‘ The literary commitment allows her to move forward. The return to London takes her back to her prison.
Ba starts spending his days in his room again. Pale, elegant, brisk as ever. At times her health seems to be getting better and from this positive note she draws hope. In the meantime, the little dog Flush arrives, very welcome. It immediately becomes a precious and faithful presence in those days immersed in solitude. It is in fact a dog of excellent manners. Which, however, does not have the exclusive right to relate to the poet. In fact, despite living in isolation, she is not alone. Its reality is complex. She is now an established, even famous author. He continues to publish his works and write letters. Invisible to the world, however, it is a voice that makes itself heard. His «Cry for children» dates back to this phase, inspired by a report on the scourge of child labor in factories and mines. Meanwhile, an unprecedented sense of expectation is gaining momentum. To procure it is an epistolary acquaintance which intervened recently. A name begins to surface in Ba’s thoughts. It is that of the poet Robert Browning. Her knowledge of letters allows her to speak to him frankly and be replied to with equal sincerity. Mutual understanding is certain.
Robert Browning soon reveals that he is the extraordinary man who gives Ba life back. The poet’s work fills him with admiration. He was so impressed that he sent her a letter with a singular incipit: «I love your lines with all my heart, dear Miss Barrett…». It is the first act of a long itinerary in which a bond of growing esteem is increasingly strengthened. The result is a very delicate friendship. Animated by sudden leaps forward and hasty retreats. In the writer, moods are born that guide her into a world unknown to her. Attracted also by that much enigmatic that Browning always puts in his dark and magnificent writing, she talks about it to a correspondent: “Do you know that I have been told that I have written more difficult things to interpret than Browning himself?”. The idea of meeting in person appears. Ba is scared of it. He stalls. But, as the correspondence continues, the enthusiasm grows. Finally, we get to specify the date. It will be in May. Ba no longer hesitates. He apologizes for having done so: «Forgive me. I am shy by nature, position and experience … for having my nerves shaken to excess and for living such a secluded life […] I may have seemed shy and ungrateful to you. But certainly not distrustful. If you want to come and see me, you can come: and the gain will be mine (so I think) and not yours […] There is nothing to see in me – nor to hear from me […] If my poetry is worth anything to someone – it is the flower of myself […] Come therefore. In any case you will find truth and simplicity and a friend ».
After that visit other visits follow. So many. Escorted by as many letters. Ba feels stronger. Start leaving your room. And he is about to make modest attempts to normalize his routine. It even goes outdoors. Familiarizing himself with Ba’s lifestyle, Browning realizes how unhealthy and harmful the confinement is that deprives the young woman of air, sun and motion. We need to change. The mirage of a different life takes shape for them. A life together. In a land with a favorable climate, like Italy. Ba is aware that his desire to build an existence outside the home would certainly be hampered by his father. He explains to Browning: “My father […] he has never tolerated in his family (sons or daughters) the manifestation of a certain order of feelings ». The only hope is escape. Browning is resolved: “I deliberately choose the fulfillment of this dream (to simply sit next to you for an hour each day) rather than any other dream – one that excludes you.”
Ba’s sentiment does not intend to hide now. She declares to Robert: «from now on I am yours for everything, except to hurt you …» Not being able to hope in any way in the conversion of the pater familias to reasonableness, the two decide to marry in secret. The wedding takes place on a Saturday morning, September 12, 1846. Only witnesses present: a cousin of Browning and Ba’s trusty maid. After the ceremony, she returns to the paternal home. Meanwhile, the definitive escape is being prepared: «tomorrow at this time, I will only have you to love me» she writes to her husband. They leave London together on September 19th. Having discovered the escape, the father orders that everything that belonged to that daughter, now expired in his consideration, be thrown away and that her name never be pronounced again. Ba observes sadly: “Really, if I had committed a crime or a scam, I don’t see how Dad could have behaved differently.” But now the time of dependence on paternal prohibitions and permits is over. She has at her side the man who knows how to understand and support her. He can only take care of seeking his own happiness and discovering the adventures of travel. It reaches the much dreamed of Italy. Looking back, he considers his former existence with “the same horror with which one would look at the mortuary garments one had mistakenly put on during a hibernation”.
In Italy, Robert and Ba settle in Florence. Since 20 April 1847 they have lived in Casa Guidi. The new situation is in keeping with their wishes. In the hot Florentine summer the young poet wears white muslin dresses. A visitor describes it as: «a soul of fire enclosed in a shell of mother of pearl». Ba is proud of the freedom that love has earned her. Her personal redemption leads her to sympathize with the cause of wider freedoms. It boldly embraces that of Italian independence. A passion to cherish. To be cultivated concretely until the last days. Political and poetic controversies are within the interests and events that mark the unfolding of the common life of the Brownings. The birth of his son Robert known as Pen is a very happy event. The child is so beautiful that when he is taken for a walk in the Cascine he arouses general admiration. The rest is normality that resists sudden changes. News of mourning from England. Hopes and disappointments. Trips and trips. And always, poetry. Returns to their homeland are sad. Ba’s father doesn’t spare her his lack of love. He is spiteful and replies rudely to a letter from Robert who, with patience, attempts a conciliation. New trips that include the beloved Paris are helpful in raising spirits and replenishing expectations. Some time later, “Aurora Leigh” was published, dreamed and programmed for a long time. As always, Browning is the first to read the work. He notes on the manuscript: “Read this book, this divine book – Wednesday evening July 9, 1856”. Meanwhile, always interested in what is happening around her, Ba does not neglect to follow the Italian political events. Cavour’s death wounds her deeply. As it began, the common path of the Brownings continues clear and intact to the end. When the poet’s strength wanes, she regrets very much the idea of having to leave the city that hosts her: «I love Florence, I can’t leave Florence». Elizabeth Barrett Browning, affectionately known as Ba, dies before dawn on June 29, 1861. Robert is beside her. He writes: “There was no lingering or acute suffering, no awareness of separation […] How it looks now – perfectly beautiful! “