Rahel to Varnhagen
Rahel to Varnhagen,blank-verse dramatic monologue by E.A. Robinson, published in The Three Taverns (1920).
The poem represents an episode in the courtship (1814) of the German historical figures Varnhagen von Ense, diplomat and biographer, and Rahel Robert, 14 years his senior but a woman of charm and intellect. Shrewdly and wittily, Rahel derides her youthful lover's presumption in seeking to win “these aged hands.” She tells of earlier affairs, shows him old love letters, and chides his folly, but to no avail (as perhaps she has expected), for he smiles at her arguments and seems to have foreseen each of them. Finally she concedes his victory: “You know so dismal much As that about me? …Well, I believe you do.”
[The entire page is 128 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Oxford University Press Titles
