Guest poem sent in by "Maid Stone"
(Poem #1345) Remembrance Cold in the earth and the deep snow piled above thee! Far, far removed, cold in the dreary grave! Have I forgot, my Only Love, to love thee, Severed at last by Time's all wearing wave? Now, when alone, do my thoughts no longer hover Over the mountains on Angora's shore; Resting their wings where heath and fern-leaves cover That noble heart for ever, ever more? Cold in the earth, and fifteen wild Decembers From those brown hills have melted into Spring - Faithful indeed is the spirit that remembers After such years of change and suffering! Sweet Love of youth, forgive if I forget thee While the World's tide is bearing me along: Sterner desires and darker hopes beset me, Hopes which obscure but cannot do thee wrong. No other sun has lightened up my heaven; No other star has ever shone for me: All my life's bliss from thy dear life was given - All my life's bliss is in the grave with thee. But when the days of golden dreams had perished And even Despair was powerless to destroy, Then did I learn how existence could be cherished, Strengthened and fed without the aid of joy; Then did I check the tears of useless passion, Weaned my young soulfrom yearning after thine; Sternly denied its burning wish to hasten Down to that tomb already more than mine! And even yet, I dare not let it languish, Dare not indulge in Memory's rapturous pain, Once drinking deep of the divinest anguish How could I seek the empty world again. |
Emily's poetry is often overshadowed by her undeniable materpiece, Wuthering Heights. This poem is an astonishing example of the imaginative powers of a woman who grew up in the shletered environment of a small village in Yorkshire, daughter of a minister. I love the use of punctuation in this poem - see the use of capitals and of exclamation points? And who could failed to be moved by the stanza: "No other sun has lightened up my heaven; No other star has ever shone for me: All my life's bliss from thy dear life was given - All my life's bliss is in the grave with thee." The reference to Angora's shore suggests this poem formed part of the imaginary world she created with her sister Anne. Louise
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