Robert Browning's "Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister" is a darkly funny story of hatred, hypocrisy, and self-deception. The poem's speaker, a monk in a Spanish monastery, fumes as he watches his fellow monk Brother Lawrence tending the garden. In the speaker's eyes, Brother Lawrence is the worst of men. But as readers soon realize, all the sins the speaker decries in his rival are really his own; unable to face his own weakness, the speaker angrily projects it all onto the nearest guy to hand. Opening on a famous onomatopoeic growl—"Gr-r-r"—this poem is a perfect example of a Browning dramatic monologue: a poem whose speaker reveals more about himself than he intends to. Browning first published this poem in Dramatic Lyrics (1842), one volume of his important eight-book collection Bells and Pomegranates.
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The Full Text of “Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister”
1Gr-r-r—there go, my heart's abhorrence!
2Water your damned flowerpots, do!
3If hate killed men, Brother Lawrence,
4God's blood, would not mine kill you!
5What? your myrtle-bush wants trimming?
6Oh, that rose has prior claims—
7Needs its leaden vase filled brimming?
8Hell dry you up with its flames!
9At the meal we sit together;
10Salve tibi! I must hear
11Wise talk of the kind of weather,
12Sort of season, time of year:
13Not a plenteous cork crop: scarcely
14Dare we hope oak-galls, I doubt;
15What's the Latin name for "parsley"?
16What's the Greek name for "Swine's Snout"?
17Whew! We'll have our platter burnished,
18Laid with care on our own shelf!
19With a fire-new spoon we're furnished,
20And a goblet for ourself,
21Rinsed like something sacrificial
22Ere 'tis fit to touch our chaps—
23Marked with L. for our initial!
24(He-he! There his lily snaps!)
25Saint, forsooth! While brown Dolores
26Squats outside the Convent bank
27With Sanchicha, telling stories,
28Steeping tresses in the tank,
29Blue-black, lustrous, thick like horsehairs,
30—Can't I see his dead eye glow,
31Bright as 'twere a Barbary corsair's?
32(That is, if he'd let it show!)
33When he finishes refection,
34Knife and fork he never lays
35Cross-wise, to my recollection,
36As do I, in Jesu's praise.
37I the Trinity illustrate,
38Drinking watered orange pulp—
39In three sips the Arian frustrate;
40While he drains his at one gulp!
41Oh, those melons? If he's able
42We're to have a feast! so nice!
43One goes to the Abbot's table,
44All of us get each a slice.
45How go on your flowers? None double?
46Not one fruit-sort can you spy?
47Strange!—And I, too, at such trouble,
48Keep them close-nipped on the sly!
49There's a great text in Galatians,
50Once you trip on it, entails
51Twenty-nine distinct damnations,
52One sure, if another fails;
53If I trip him just a-dying,
54Sure of heaven as sure can be,
55Spin him round and send him flying
56Off to hell, a Manichee?
57Or, my scrofulous French novel
58On grey paper with blunt type!
59Simply glance at it, you grovel
60Hand and foot in Belial's gripe;
61If I double down its pages
62At the woeful sixteenth print,
63When he gathers his greengages,
64Ope a sieve and slip it in't?
65Or, there's Satan!—one might venture
66Pledge one's soul to him, yet leave
67Such a flaw in the indenture
68As he'd miss till, past retrieve,
69Blasted lay that rose-acacia
70We're so proud of! Hy, Zy, Hine
71'St, there's Vespers! Plena gratia
72Ave, Virgo! Gr-r-r—you swine!
The Full Text of “Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister”
1Gr-r-r—there go, my heart's abhorrence!
2Water your damned flowerpots, do!
3If hate killed men, Brother Lawrence,
4God's blood, would not mine kill you!
5What? your myrtle-bush wants trimming?
6Oh, that rose has prior claims—
7Needs its leaden vase filled brimming?
8Hell dry you up with its flames!
9At the meal we sit together;
10Salve tibi! I must hear
11Wise talk of the kind of weather,
12Sort of season, time of year:
13Not a plenteous cork crop: scarcely
14Dare we hope oak-galls, I doubt;
15What's the Latin name for "parsley"?
16What's the Greek name for "Swine's Snout"?
17Whew! We'll have our platter burnished,
18Laid with care on our own shelf!
19With a fire-new spoon we're furnished,
20And a goblet for ourself,
21Rinsed like something sacrificial
22Ere 'tis fit to touch our chaps—
23Marked with L. for our initial!
24(He-he! There his lily snaps!)
25Saint, forsooth! While brown Dolores
26Squats outside the Convent bank
27With Sanchicha, telling stories,
28Steeping tresses in the tank,
29Blue-black, lustrous, thick like horsehairs,
30—Can't I see his dead eye glow,
31Bright as 'twere a Barbary corsair's?
32(That is, if he'd let it show!)
33When he finishes refection,
34Knife and fork he never lays
35Cross-wise, to my recollection,
36As do I, in Jesu's praise.
37I the Trinity illustrate,
38Drinking watered orange pulp—
39In three sips the Arian frustrate;
40While he drains his at one gulp!
41Oh, those melons? If he's able
42We're to have a feast! so nice!
43One goes to the Abbot's table,
44All of us get each a slice.
45How go on your flowers? None double?
46Not one fruit-sort can you spy?
47Strange!—And I, too, at such trouble,
48Keep them close-nipped on the sly!
49There's a great text in Galatians,
50Once you trip on it, entails
51Twenty-nine distinct damnations,
52One sure, if another fails;
53If I trip him just a-dying,
54Sure of heaven as sure can be,
55Spin him round and send him flying
56Off to hell, a Manichee?
57Or, my scrofulous French novel
58On grey paper with blunt type!
59Simply glance at it, you grovel
60Hand and foot in Belial's gripe;
61If I double down its pages
62At the woeful sixteenth print,
63When he gathers his greengages,
64Ope a sieve and slip it in't?
65Or, there's Satan!—one might venture
66Pledge one's soul to him, yet leave
67Such a flaw in the indenture
68As he'd miss till, past retrieve,
69Blasted lay that rose-acacia
70We're so proud of! Hy, Zy, Hine
71'St, there's Vespers! Plena gratia
72Ave, Virgo! Gr-r-r—you swine!
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“Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister” Summary
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“Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister” Themes
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Hatred, Hypocrisy, and Self-Loathing
- See where this theme is active in the poem.
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False Piety and Empty Religious Ritual
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister”
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Lines 1-8
Gr-r-r—there go, my heart's abhorrence!
Water your damned flowerpots, do!
If hate killed men, Brother Lawrence,
God's blood, would not mine kill you!
What? your myrtle-bush wants trimming?
Oh, that rose has prior claims—
Needs its leaden vase filled brimming?
Hell dry you up with its flames! -
Lines 9-16
At the meal we sit together;
Salve tibi!
I must hear
Wise talk of the kind of weather,
Sort of season, time of year:
Not a plenteous cork crop: scarcely
Dare we hope oak-galls, I doubt;
What's the Latin name for "parsley"?
What's the Greek name for "Swine's Snout"? -
Lines 17-24
Whew! We'll have our platter burnished,
Laid with care on our own shelf!
With a fire-new spoon we're furnished,
And a goblet for ourself,
Rinsed like something sacrificial
Ere 'tis fit to touch our chaps—
Marked with L. for our initial!
(He-he! There his lily snaps!) -
Lines 25-32
Saint,
forsooth! While brown Dolores
Squats outside the Convent bank
With Sanchicha, telling stories,
Steeping tresses in the tank,
Blue-black, lustrous, thick like horsehairs,
—Can't I see his dead eye glow,
Bright as 'twere a Barbary corsair's?
(That is, if he'd let it show!) -
Lines 33-40
When he finishes refection,
Knife and fork he never lays
Cross-wise, to my recollection,
As do I, in Jesu's praise.
I the Trinity illustrate,
Drinking watered orange pulp—
In three sips the Arian frustrate;
While he drains his at one gulp! -
Lines 41-48
Oh, those melons? If he's able
We're to have a feast! so nice!
One goes to the Abbot's table,
All of us get each a slice.
How go on your flowers? None double?
Not one fruit-sort can you spy?
Strange!—And I, too, at such trouble,
Keep them close-nipped on the sly! -
Lines 49-56
There's a great text in Galatians,
Once you trip on it, entails
Twenty-nine distinct damnations,
One sure, if another fails;
If I trip him just a-dying,
Sure of heaven as sure can be,
Spin him round and send him flying
Off to hell, a Manichee? -
Lines 57-64
Or, my scrofulous French novel
On grey paper with blunt type!
Simply glance at it, you grovel
Hand and foot in Belial's gripe;
If I double down its pages
At the woeful sixteenth print,
When he gathers his greengages,
Ope a sieve and slip it in't? -
Lines 65-72
Or, there's Satan!—one might venture
Pledge one's soul to him, yet leave
Such a flaw in the indenture
As he'd miss till, past retrieve,
Blasted lay that rose-acacia
We're so proud of!
Hy, Zy, Hine
'St, there's Vespers!
Plena gratia
Ave, Virgo!
Gr-r-r—you swine!
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“Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister” Symbols
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Brother Lawrence's Garden
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“Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Onomatopoeia
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Irony
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Allusion
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Simile
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Repetition
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“Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister” 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.
- Abhorrence
- God's blood
- Salve tibi
- Plenteous
- Cork
- Oak-galls
- Swine's Snout
- Burnished
- Fire-new
- Furnished
- Ere 'tis fit
- Chaps
- Forsooth
- Steeping tresses in the tank
- Lustrous
- As 'twere
- Barbary corsair
- Refection
- Jesu's
- In three sips the Arian frustrate
- Fruit-sort
- Close-nipped
- Galatians
- Manichee
- Scrofulous
- French novel
- Grovel
- Belial's gripe
- Sixteenth print
- Greengages
- Ope a sieve and slip it in't
- Indenture
- Blasted
- Hy, Zy, Hine
- 'St
- Vespers
- Plena gratia, ave, Virgo!
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- See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister” Speaker
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“Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister”
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More “Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister” Resources
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External Resources
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The Poem Aloud — Watch a staged performance of the poem.
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The Mystery of "Hy, Zy, Hine" — Read some of the many theories about what on earth Browning might have meant by the nonsense words "Hy, Zy, Hine" at the end of the poem.
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Dramatic Lyrics — Learn more about Dramatic Lyrics, the important collection in which this poem was first published.
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A Brief Biography — Learn more about Browning's life via the British Library.
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More Browning Resources — Visit the Victorian Web to find a trove of Browning lore.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Robert Browning
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