Lyric Poem · Love

Misconceptions

by Robert Browning

Reading room

1This is a spray the bird clung to,

2 Making it blossom with pleasure,

3Ere the high tree-top she sprung to,

4 Fit for her nest and her treasure.

5 Oh, what a hope beyond measure

6Was the poor spray's, which the flying feet hung to, —

7So to be singled out, built in, and sung to!

8This is a heart the Queen leant on,

9 Thrilled in a minute erratic,

10Ere the true bosom she bent on,

11 Meet for love's regal dalmatic.

12 Oh, what a fancy ecstatic

13Was the poor heart's, ere the wanderer went on —

14Love to be saved for it, proffered to, spent on!

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“Misconceptions” by Robert Browning — quilloak.com/poems/misconceptions

Quick facts

Poem: Misconceptions
Poet: Robert Browning
Length: 14 lines
Form: Lyric Poem
Themes: Love, Nature, Hope

Craft notes

How this poem works

Measured from the text on this page, not copied from a summary. Counts are approximate: syllables and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, which models General American English, so dialect, older pronunciation, and performance can all change what you hear.

Shape: 14 lines · 2 septets
Line length: Mostly 8-syllable lines (tetrameter length).

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Text, source & rights

A traceable edition

Full-text display is based on the committed source record and a United States term-expiry review.

Author record: Robert Browning1812–1889
Source record: PoetryDBMisconceptions by robert-browning, PoetryDB transcription
Display decision: Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
Publication record: Not recorded in the imported source
Text fingerprint: SHA-256 328fde980b6067ea…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

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Lyric Poem Love Nature Hope

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