He imagined yet more vividly than he saw, and the stone wall which forbade vision but whetted imagination, acquired an ideal merit in his eyes because it was not an open door.

In later life he came with growing persistence to regard the phenomenal world as a barrier of illusion between man and truth.

But instead of chilling his faith, the obstacle only generated that poet's philosophy of the "value of a lie" which perturbs the less experienced reader of _Fifine_.
"Truth" was "forced to manifest itself through falsehood," won thence by the excepted eye, at the rare season, for the happy moment, till "through the shows of sense, which ever proving false still promise to be true," the soul of man worked its way to its final union with the soul of God.[118] [Footnote 118: _Fifine at the fair_, cxxiv.] * * * * * And here at length if not before we have a clear glimpse of the athlete who lurks behind the explorer.

Browning's joy in imagining impediment and illusion was only another aspect of his joy in the spiritual energy which answers to the spur of difficulty and "works" through the shows of sense; and this other joy found expression in a poetry of soul yet more deeply tinged with the native hue of his mind.

"From the first, Power was, I knew;" and souls were the very central haunt and focus of its play.