-102) the "moment" apparently
refers to old age when man has leisure and wisdom to appraise the Past.

102. _The Future._ The life of his "adventure brave and new" after
death.

109-111. In "Old Pictures in Florence" Browning applies this idea to the
development of art. As soon as men were content to repose in the
perfection of Greek art (the thing "found made") stagnation ensued; the
new life of art came when men strove for something new and original,
even though their first attempts were crude ("acts uncouth").

120. _Nor let thee feel alone._ The solitude of age gives a chance for
unhampered thought.

133-150. One of the things he has learned is that any judgment to be
fair must take into account instincts, efforts, desires, as well as
accomplishment.

151-186. This metaphor of the wheel is found in _Isaiah_ lxiv, 8;
_Jeremiah_ xviii, 2-6; _Romans_ ix, 21. Throughout this metaphor as
Browning uses it, man seems to be "passive clay" in the hands of the
potter, and under the power of the "machinery" the potter uses to give
the soul its bent. The tone of the whole poem is, however, one of
strenuous endeavor. Ardor, effort, progress, are the keynotes of life
from youth to age. But life is finally counted a divine training for the
service of God, and in this training the pious Rabbi sees joined the
will of man and the care and guidance of God.

157. _All that is_, etc. Cf. "Abt Vogler," ll. 69-80.

CALIBAN UPON SETEBOS

The idea of this poem was evolved from Shakspere's Caliban, a strange,
misshapen, fish-like being, one of the servants of Prospero in _The
Tempest_. He was the son of a foul witch who had potent ministers and
could control moon and tides, but could not undo her own hateful
sorceries, and who worshiped a god called Setebos. Morally, Shakspere's
Caliban was insensible to kindness, had bestial passions, was cowardly,
vengeful, superstitious. He had keen animal instincts and knew the
island well. He understood Prospero in some measure; learned to talk, to
know the stars, to compose poetry, and took pleasure in music.

_Thou thoughtest_, etc. A quotation from _Psalms_ 1, 21. This sentence
is the keynote of Caliban's theological speculations.

1. _Will_. For "he will" instead of "I will." Through most of the poem
Caliban speaks of himself in the third person as a child does. But note
lines 68-97, where Caliban rises to unusual mental heights under the
stimulus of the gourd-fruit-mash and uses the f