Robert Browning's "Among the Rocks" is the seventh in a nine-poem sequence titled "James Lee's Wife" (or, in its original printing, plain old "James Lee"), the opening piece in Browning's important 1864 collection Dramatis Personae. That Latin phrase, meaning "persons of the drama," usually introduces a cast list at the front of a play—and is thus a fitting title for a book containing some of Browning's greatest dramatic monologues, poetic speeches in the voice of a particular character. The speaker here is James Lee's titular wife, an otherwise nameless woman struggling with a fraught, painful marriage. Elsewhere in the sequence, she worries that love is fleeting and deceptive, her marriage fragile and unbalanced. Here, on a clear autumn morning, she has a moment of sudden courageous resolve: moved by the "good gigantic smile o' the brown old earth," she vows to embrace "life's trial" and love's disappointments so long as she's in this world, hoping that greater "gain" will follow in the world "above."
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The Full Text of “Among the Rocks”
1Oh, good gigantic smile o' the brown old earth,
2This autumn morning! How he sets his bones
3To bask i' the sun, and thrusts out knees and feet
4For the ripple to run over in its mirth;
5Listening the while, where on the heap of stones
6The white breast of the sea-lark twitters sweet.
7That is the doctrine, simple, ancient, true;
8Such is life's trial, as old earth smiles and knows.
9If you loved only what were worth your love,
10Love were clear gain, and wholly well for you:
11Make the low nature better by your throes!
12Give earth yourself, go up for gain above!
The Full Text of “Among the Rocks”
1Oh, good gigantic smile o' the brown old earth,
2This autumn morning! How he sets his bones
3To bask i' the sun, and thrusts out knees and feet
4For the ripple to run over in its mirth;
5Listening the while, where on the heap of stones
6The white breast of the sea-lark twitters sweet.
7That is the doctrine, simple, ancient, true;
8Such is life's trial, as old earth smiles and knows.
9If you loved only what were worth your love,
10Love were clear gain, and wholly well for you:
11Make the low nature better by your throes!
12Give earth yourself, go up for gain above!
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“Among the Rocks” Summary
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“Among the Rocks” Themes
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Nature's Wisdom and Life's Struggles
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The Disappointments of Love
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Among the Rocks”
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Lines 1-4
Oh, good gigantic smile o' the brown old earth,
This autumn morning! How he sets his bones
To bask i' the sun, and thrusts out knees and feet
For the ripple to run over in its mirth; -
Lines 5-6
Listening the while, where on the heap of stones
The white breast of the sea-lark twitters sweet. -
Lines 7-8
That is the doctrine, simple, ancient, true;
Such is life's trial, as old earth smiles and knows. -
Lines 9-10
If you loved only what were worth your love,
Love were clear gain, and wholly well for you: -
Lines 11-12
Make the low nature better by your throes!
Give earth yourself, go up for gain above!
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“Among the Rocks” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Personification
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Imagery
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Asyndeton
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Alliteration
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“Among the Rocks” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- O'
- Bask
- I'
- Mirth
- The while
- Sea-lark
- Doctrine
- Throes
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Among the Rocks”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Among the Rocks” Speaker
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“Among the Rocks” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Among the Rocks”
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More “Among the Rocks” Resources
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External Resources
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Dramatis Personae — See images of the first edition of Dramatis Personae, the important collection in which this poem appeared.
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The Poem Aloud — Listen to a reading of the poem.
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More on Browning — Visit the Victorian Web to find a wealth of resources on Browning's life and work.
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A Brief Biography — Learn more about Browning's life and times via the Poetry Foundation.
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Portraits of Browning — Admire some portraits of Browning via London's National Portrait Gallery.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Robert Browning
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