It had been many years since Joel had passed away, and since then Anne has gained the reputation of a poet. I was invited to Anne’s house and she offered to share some pieces with me. When I arrived at her house Anne was sitting down at a wooden dinner table writing on some papers. “Bethia, please sit down with me. “, she said as she looked up from her work. “I am going to finish cooking us a dinner, you can get started on these poems. ” Anne said as she handed me 3 poems. The first one I read was called, “The Author to Her Book”.
The title immediately caught my eye and I spent a minute or so trying to decipher the meaning of it. I settled on two ideas, it either meant that the “Author” was God leading her life, or it could have been that the “Author” was herself. I assumed that “Her Book” meant her own life. I decided to make a conjecture after reading the poem itself. I read the poem twice to make sure that Thad understood all Anne had to say. The first thing that drew my attention was the usage of the comparison of the mother giving birth to an author writing a book.
I find this metaphor useful, for the common folk can relate to having a child as opposed to writing a book. Throughout this poem Anne I found the ending to be especially powerful because of this line, “If for thy Father askt, say, thou hadst none:”. There is no father of the book and the mother was poor. This line shows Anne’s independence in life, and that women by themselves can create sophisticated and beautiful pieces of work just like men can. When I finished reading the first poem Anne returned from the kitchen, “How was it? ” She asked trying to shake off excess flour from her hands.
I find the double meaning of the poem to convey the message across very efficiently,” I said, “By mentioning that the author is poor it helps to show that not all humans are perfect. “. “Good observation Bethia, I want you to read the next one multiple times for it is a longer poem. I must go outside to pick some vegetables in the garden for dinner. I shall be back soon” said Anne, she picked up her basket and left. This next poem, “In Honour of that High and Mighty Princess, Queen Elizabeth” is separated into 4 parts. In the proem Anne writes about the greatness of the late queen.
She uses language like “thou now in silence lie” and “Mine bleating stands before thy royal Hearse” to convey the message that the Queen she is talking about had died. The poem talks about how Queen Elizabeth defied the gender stereotype that women could not be rulers. This is made evident in the line where it says, “She hath wip’d off th’ aspersion of her Sex, That women wisdom lack to play the Rex. “. Anne also talks about the military victories against countries like Spain that happen under Queen Elizabeth, “Her Victories in foreign Coasts resound?
Ships more invincible than Spain’s her foe She rack’t, she sack’d, she sunk has Armadoe. “. The independence of Queen Elizabeth is very similar to Anne’s set of beliefs. She herself was educated at a young age and had the opportunity to be a unique woman. In her Epitaph Anne uses a metaphor comparing the queen to a rose. By saying “Or neither tree did grow such Rose before, the greater was our gain, our loss was more” Anne explains that nobody as great as the Queen has ever existed before, and that her greatness has been unparalleled.
The “Another” part of the poem was used to tie the story together. By saying that the pattern of monarchy continues Anne also says that the Queen’s fame is immortalized in history. After reading this poem Anne returned from the garden. “I can see that the Queen is one of your inspirations and hero” | told Anne. “This is indeed true. Let me tell you, my last poem is more unique from the others” Anne said as sh returned to the kitchen. Anne’s final poem “To My Dear and Loving Husband” was a poem that was radically different from the two other poems I read today.
This one was different because the narrator of the poem was focusing less on independence, and more on the love between two people. The line “I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold,” makes it clear that she obviously doesn’t care about riches and that love is more important. She asks for nothing but love from her husband and she prays that they will be rewarded in heaven. In the last 2 lines of the poem she urges herself and her husband to persevere in their marriage until the end of their lives.
Shortly after reading the last poem Anne had completed dinner. “Did you write this poem with Joel in mind? ” I asked cautiously. When she returned with the food I could notice a tear rolling down her cheek, even though she was still smiling. “Sometimes, things are better left unsaid”, Anne said with a distant look on her face. She wiped off the tear with he apron and I saw a look of happiness and consolation in her face. We ate dinner in silence that night.
