Pippa Passes

verse drama by Browning

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Article History

Pippa Passes, verse drama in four parts by Robert Browning, published in 1841. The poem’s sections—Morning, Noon, Evening, and Night—are linked by episodes that either comment on the preceding scene or presage the scene to follow.

On New Year’s morning, her only holiday for the entire year, Pippa, an impoverished young silk-winder, sings as she wanders aimlessly. In each section of the poem, people who are at critical points in their lives make significant and far-reaching decisions when they hear Pippa sing as she passes by.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.