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The Lab Lyrics by Robert Browning

0

Now that I, tying thy glass mask tightly,
May gaze through these faint smokes curling whitely
As thou pliest thy trade in this devil's-smithy—
Which is the poison to poison her, prithee?

II

He is with her; and they know that I know
Where they are, what they do: they believe my tears flow
While they laugh, laugh at me, at me fled to the drear
Empty church, to pray God in, for them!—I am here

III

Grind away, moisten and mash up thy paste
Pound at thy powder,—I am not in haste!
Better sit thus, and observe thy strange things
Than go where men wait me and dance at the King's

IV

That in the mortar—you call it a gum?
Ah, the brave tree whence such gold oozings come!
And yonder soft phial, the exquisite blue
Sure to taste sweetly,—is that poison too?

V

Had I but all of them, thee and thy treasures
What a wild crowd of invisible pleasures!
To carry pure death in an earring, a casket
A signet, a fan-mount, a filigree-basket!

VI

Soon, at the King's, a mere lozenge to give
And Pauline should have just thirty minutes to live!
But to light a pastille, and Elise, with her head
And her breast, and her arms, and her hands, should drop dead!

VII

Quick—is it finished? The colour's too grim!
Why not soft like the phial's, enticing and dim?
Let it brighten her drink, let her turn it and stir
And try it and taste, ere she fix and prefer!

VIII

What a drop! She's not little, no minion like me—
That's why she ensnared him: this never will free
The soul from those strong, great eyes,—say, "No!"
To that pulse's magnificent come-and-go

IX

For only last night, as they whispered, I brought
My own eyes to bear on her so, that I thought
Could I keep them one-half minute fixed, she would fall
Shrivelled; she fell not; yet this does it all!

X

Not that I bid you spare her the pain!
Let death be felt and the proof remain;
Brand, burn up, bite into its grace—
He is sure to remember her dying face!

XI

Is it done? Take my mask off! Nay, be not morose
It kills her, and this prevents seeing it close:
The delicate droplet, my whole fortune's fee—
If it hurts her, beside, can it ever hurt me?

XII

Now, take all my jewels, gorge gold to your fill
You may kiss me, old man, on my mouth if you will!
But brush this dust off me, lest horror it brings
Ere I know it—next moment I dance at the King's!
Credits
Robert Browning

Robert Browning

About “The Lab” by Robert Browning

Read the complete lyrics to "The Lab" by Robert Browning. 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 Rap.

"The Lab" is performed by Robert Browning. 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 "The Lab", 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.

View all songs and biography for Robert Browning · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"The Lab" 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.

Album information for "The Lab" is not available in our database yet. You can still read the full lyrics on this page.

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

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