Chapter 12

1855-1858

'Men and Women'--'Karshook'--'Two in the Campagna'--Winter in
Paris; Lady Elgin--'Aurora Leigh'--Death of Mr. Kenyon and Mr.
Barrett--Penini--Mrs. Browning's Letters to Miss Browning--The
Florentine Carnival--Baths of Lucca--Spiritualism--Mr. Kirkup; Count
Ginnasi--Letter from Mr. Browning to Mr. Fox--Havre.

The beautiful 'One Word More' was dated from London in September; and
the fifty poems gathered together under the title of 'Men and Women'
were published before the close of the year, in two volumes, by Messrs.
Chapman and Hall.* They are all familiar friends to Mr. Browning's
readers, in their first arrangement and appearance, as in later
redistributions and reprints; but one curious little fact concerning
them is perhaps not generally known. In the eighth line of the
fourteenth section of 'One Word More' they were made to include
'Karshook (Ben Karshook's Wisdom)', which never was placed amongst them.
It was written in April 1854; and the dedication of the volume must have
been, as it so easily might be, in existence, before the author decided
to omit it. The wrong name, once given, was retained, I have no doubt,
from preference for its terminal sound; and 'Karshook' only became
'Karshish' in the Tauchnitz copy of 1872, and in the English edition of
1889.

* The date is given in the edition of 1868 as London 185-;
in the Tauchnitz selection of 1872, London and Florence 184-
and 185-; in the new English edition 184-and 185-.

'Karshook' appeared in 1856 in 'The Keepsake', edited by Miss Power;
but, as we are told on good authority, has been printed in no edition or
selection of the Poet's works. I am therefore justified in inserting it
here.

I

'Would a man 'scape the rod?'
Rabbi Ben Karshook saith,
'See that he turn to God
The day before his death.'

'Ay, could a man inquire
When it shall come!' I say.
The Rabbi's eye shoots fire--
'Then let him turn to-day!'

II

Quoth a young Sadducee:
'Reader of many rolls,
Is it so certain we
Have, as they tell us, souls?'

'Son, there is no reply!'
The Rabbi bit his beard:
'Certain, a soul have _I_--
_We_ may have none,' he sneer'd.

Thus Karshook, the Hiram's-Hammer,
The Right-hand Temple-column,
Taught babes in grace their grammar,
And struck the simple, solemn.

Among this first collection of 'Men and Women' was the poem called
'Two in the Campagna'. It is a vivid, yet enigmatical little study of a
restless spirit tantalized by glimpses of repose in love, saddened and
perplexed by the manner in which this eludes it. Nothing that should
impress one as more purely dramatic ever fell from Mr. Browning's
pen. We are