The Norton Anthology of English literature. Volume 2

6. Caliban's concern is to appease only Setebos, 7. Hard fruits produced by wild roses, not the other deity�the Quiet.

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1300 / ROBERT BROWNING

150 Himself peeped late, eyed Prosper at his books Careless and lofty, lord now of the isle: Vexed, 'stitched a book of broad leaves, arrow-shaped, Wrote thereon, he knows what, prodigious words; Has peeled a wand and called it by a name;

155 Weareth at whiles for an enchanter's robe The eyed skin of a supple oncelot;8 And hath an ounce9 sleeker than youngling mole, A four-legged serpent he makes cower and couch, Now snarl, now hold its breath and mind his eye,

160 And saith she is Miranda and my wife: 'Keeps for his Ariel' a tall pouch-bill crane He bids go wade for fish and straight" disgorge; immediately Also a sea beast, lumpish, which he snared, Blinded the eyes of, and brought somewhat tame,

165 And split its toe-webs, and now pens the drudge In a hole o' the rock and calls him Caliban; A bitter heart that bides its time and bites. 'Plays thus at being Prosper in a way, Taketh his mirth with make-believes: so He.

170 His dam held that the Quiet made all things Which Setebos vexed only: 'holds not so. Who made them weak, meant weakness He might vex. Had He meant other, while His hand was in, Why not make horny eyes no thorn could prick,

175 Or plate my scalp with bone against the snow,

Or overscale my flesh 'neath joint and joint, Like an ore's0 armor? Aye�so spoil His sport! sea monster's He is the One now: only He doth all.

'Saith, He may like, perchance, what profits Him.

i8o Aye, himself loves what does him good; but why? 'Gets good no otherwise. This blinded beast Loves whoso places flesh-meat on his nose, But, had he eyes, would want no help, but hate Or love, just as it liked him: He hath eyes.

185 Also it pleaseth Setebos to work, Use all His hands, and exercise much craft, By no means for the love of what is worked. Tasteth, himself, no finer good i' the world When all goes right, in this safe summertime,

190 And he wants little, hungers, aches not much, Than trying what to do with wit and strength. 'Falls to make something: 'piled yon pile of turfs, And squared and stuck there squares of soft white chalk, And, with a fish-tooth, scratched a moon on each,

195 And set up endwise certain spikes of tree, And crowned the whole with a sloth's skull a-top, Found dead i' the woods, too hard for one to kill.

8. Browning may have invented this term from the 9. A lynx or other wild feline of moderate size or Spanish oncela or from the French ocelot (i.e., a a snow leopard. leopard or spotted wildcat). 1. In The Tempest a spirit who serves Prospero.

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CALIBAN UPON SETEBOS / 1301

No use at all i' the work, for work's sole sake; 'Shall some day knock it down again: so He.

200 'Saith He is terrible: watch His feats in proof! One hurricane will spoil six good months' hope. He hath a spite against me, that I know, Just as He favors Prosper, who knows why? So it is, all the same, as well I find.

205 'Wove wattles half the winter, fenced them firm With stone and stake to stop she-tortoises Crawling to lay their eggs here: well, one wave, Feeling the foot of Him upon its neck, Gaped as a snake does, lolled out its large tongue,

210 And licked the whole labor flat; so much for spite. 'Saw a ball0 flame down late (yonder it lies) meteorite Where, half an hour before, I slept i' the shade: Often they scatter sparkles: there is force! 'Dug up a newt He may have envied once

215 And turned to stone, shut up inside a stone. Please Him and hinder this?�What Prosper does?2 Aha, if He would tell me how! Not He! There is the sport: discover how or die! All need not die, for of the things o' the isle

220 Some flee afar, some dive, some run up trees; Those at His mercy�why, they please Him most When . . . when . . . well, never try the same way twice! Repeat what act has pleased, He may grow wroth. You must not know His ways, and play Him off,

225 Sure of the issue.0 'Doth the like himself: outcome 'Spareth a squirrel that it nothing fears But steals3 the nut from underneath my thumb, And when I threat, bites stoutly in defense: 'Spareth an urchin0 that contrariwise hedgehog

230 Curls up into a ball, pretending death For fright at my approach: the two ways please. But what would move my choler more than this, That either creature counted on its life Tomorrow and next day and all days to come,

235 Saying, forsooth, in the inmost of its heart, "Because he did so yesterday with me, And otherwise with such another brute, So must he do henceforth and always."�Aye? Would teach the reasoning couple what "must" means!

240 'Doth as he likes, or wherefore Lord? So He.

'Conceiveth all things will continue thus, And we shall have to live in fear of Him So long as He lives, keeps His strength: no change, If He have done His best, make no new world

245 To please Him more, so leave off watching this�