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by Robert Browning (1812 - 1889)

What are we two?
Language: English 
What are we two?
I am a Jew,
And carry thee, farther than friends can pursue,
To a feast of our tribe;
Where they need thee to bribe
The devil that blasts them unless he imbibe.
Thy . . . Scatter the vision for ever! And now
As of old, I am I, thou art thou!

Say again, what we are?
The sprite of a star,
I lure thee above where the destinies bar
My plumes their full play
Till a ruddier ray
Than my pale one announce there is withering away
Some . . . Scatter the vision forever! And now,
As of old, I am I, thou art thou!

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Robert Browning (1812 - 1889), no title, appears in Bells and Pomegranates, first published 1842 [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by Alice Barnett (1886 - 1975), "What are we two?", published 1920 [high voice and piano], from In a gondola, no. 4. [
     text not verified 
    ]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-07-02
Line count: 16
Word count: 111

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