But few poets have made so much of them and so happily, or sung about these birds of God so well as Browning has in _Pippa Passes_.
That was in 1841.

Pleased with his success in this half-lyrical, half-dramatic piece, he was lured towards the drama again, and also to try his hand at those short lyrics--records of transient emotion on fanciful subjects--or records of short but intense moments of thought or feeling.

It is a pity that he did not give to dramatic lyrics (in which species of poetry he is quite our first master) the time he gave to dramas, in which he is not much better than an amateur.

Nevertheless, we cannot omit the women in the dramas.

I have already written of Lady Carlisle.