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A Pretty Woman Lyrics by Robert Browning

Browning’s Shorter Poems

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That fawn-skin-dappled hair of hers,
        And the blue eye
        Dear and dewy,
And that infantine fresh air of hers!
To think men cannot take you, Sweet,
        And infold you,
        Ay, and hold you,
And so keep you what they make you, Sweet!
You like us for a glance, you know—
        For a word's sake
        Or a sword's sake:
All's the same, whate'er the chance, you know.
And in turn we make you ours, we say—
        You and youth too,
        Eyes and mouth too,
All the face composed of flowers, we say.
All's our own, to make the most of, Sweet—
        Sing and say for,
        Watch and pray for,
Keep a secret or go boast of, Sweet!
But for loving, why, you would not, Sweet,
        Tho' we prayed you,
        Paid you, brayed you
In a mortar—for you could not, Sweet!
So, we leave the sweet face fondly there,
        Be its beauty
        Its sole duty!
Let all hope of grace beyond, lie there!
And while the face lies quiet there,
        Who shall wonder
        That I ponder
A conclusion? I will try it there.
As,—why must one, for the love foregone
        Scout mere liking?
        Thunder-striking
Earth,—the heaven, we looked above for, gone!
Why, with beauty, needs there money be,
        Love with liking?
        Crush the fly-king
In his gauze, because no honey-bee?
May not liking be so simple-sweet,
        If love grew there
        'Twould undo there
All that breaks the cheek to dimples sweet?
Is the creature too imperfect, say?
        Would you mend it
        And so end it?
Since not all addition perfects aye!
Or is it of its kind, perhaps,
        Just perfection—
        Whence, rejection
Of a grace not to its mind, perhaps?
Shall we burn up, tread that face at once
        Into tinder,
        And so hinder
Sparks from kindling all the place at once?
Or else kiss away one's soul on her?
        Your love-fancies!
        —A sick man sees
Truer, when his hot eyes roll on her!
Thus the craftsman thinks to grace the rose,—
        Plucks a mould-flower
        For his gold flower,
Uses fine things that efface the rose.
Rosy rubies make its cup more rose.
        Precious metals
        Ape the petals,—
Last, some old king locks it up, morose!
Then how grace a rose? I know a way!
        Leave it, rather.
        Must you gather?
Smell, kiss, wear it—at last, throw away.
Credits
Robert Browning

Robert Browning

About “A Pretty Woman” by Robert Browning

Read the complete lyrics to "A Pretty Woman" by Robert Browning from the album "Browning’s Shorter Poems". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music, Literature.

"A Pretty Woman" is performed by Robert Browning. from the album "Browning’s Shorter Poems" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "A Pretty Woman", explore more songs by Robert Browning using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"A Pretty Woman" is credited to Robert Browning. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"A Pretty Woman" appears on "Browning’s Shorter Poems".

Visit the Robert Browning artist page at /artist/robert-browning for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.