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Which?

By Robert Browning

Topics: classic

So, the three Court-ladies began     Their trial of who judged best     In esteeming the love of a man:     Who preferred with most reason was thereby confessed     Boy-Cupids exemplary catcher and cager;     An Abb crossed legs to decide on the wager.     First the Duchesse: Mine for me,     Who were it but Gods for Him,     And the Kings for who but he?     Both faithful and loyal, one grace more shall brim     His cup with perfection: a ladys true lover,     He holds, save his God and his king, none above her.     I require, outspoke the Marquise,     Pure thoughts, ay, but also fine deeds:     Play the paladin must he, to please     My whim, and, to prove my knights service exceeds     Your saints and your loyalists praying and kneeling,     Show wounds, each wide mouth to my mercy appealing.     Then the Comtesse: My choice be a wretch,     Mere losel in body and soul,     Thrice accurst! What care I, so he stretch     Arms to me his sole savior, loves ultimate goal,     Out of earth and mens noise, names of infidel, traitor.     Cast up at him? Crown me, crowns adjudicator!     And the Abb uncrossed his legs,     Took snuff, a reflective pinch,     Broke silence: The question begs     Much pondering ere I pronounce. Shall I flinch?     The love which to one and one only has reference     Seems terribly like what perhaps gains Gods preference.

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"So, the three Court-ladies began..."

This evocative piece by Robert Browning, titled "Which?", represents a masterful exploration of classic. The lines capture a profound emotional resonance... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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Author:Robert Browning

"So, the three Court-ladies began..." by Robert Browning

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Robert Browning

About Robert Browning

Robert Browning (1812–1889) was a major English Victorian poet who perfected the dramatic monologue form. His poems—including "My Last Duchess," "The Pied Piper of Hamelin," and "Fra Lippo Lippi"—explore psychology, morality, and art through the voices of vividly drawn characters.

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"I     Query: was ever a quainter     Crotchet than..."

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