The Poems of Bradstreet

The Poems of Anne Bradstreet

"To My Dear and Loving Husband"

“If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were loved by wife, then thee;
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me, ye women, if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee, give recompense.
Thy love is such I can no way repay,
The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
Then while we live, in love let's so persevere
That when we live no more, we may live ever.”

"A Letter to Her Husband: Absent Upon Public Employment"

“My head, my heart, mine eyes, my life, nay, more,
My joy, my magazine of earthly store,
If two be one, as surely thou and I,
How stayest thou there, wilst I at Ipswich lie?
So many steps, head from the heart to sever,
If but a neck, soon should we be together,
I, like the Earth this season, mourn in black,
My Sun is gone so far in's zodiac,
Whom whilst I 'joyed, nor storms, nor frost I felt,
His warmth such frigid colds did cause to melt.
My chilled limbs now numbed lie forlorn;
Return, return, sweet Sol, from Capricorn,
In this dead time, alas, what can I more
Than view those fruits which through thy heat I bore?
Which sweet contentment yield me for a space,
True living pictures of their father's face.
O strange effect! now thou art southward gone,
I weary grow the tedious day so long;
But when thou northward to me shalt return,
I wish my Sun may never set, but burn
Within the Cancer of my glowing breast,
The welcome house of him my dearest guest.
Where ever, ever stay, and go not thence,
Till nature's sad decree shall call thee hence;
Flesh of thy flesh, bone of thy bone,
I here, thou there, but both but one.”

"The Author to Her Book"

"Thou ill-form'd offspring of my feeble brain,
Who after birth did'st by my side remain,
Till snatcht from thence by friends, less wise than true
Who thee abroad, expos'd to publick view;
Made thee in rags, halting to th' press to trudge,
Where errors were not lessened (all may judge)
At thy return my blushing was not small,
My rambling brat (in print) should mother call,
I cast thee by as one unfit for light,
Thy visage was so irksome in my sight;
Yet being mine own, at length affection would
Thy blemishes amend, if so I could:
I wash'd thy face, but more defects I saw,
And rubbing off a spot, still made a flaw.
I stretcht thy joints to make thee even feet,
Yet still thou run'st more hobbling than is meet;
In better dress to trim thee was my mind,
But nought save home-spun cloth, i' th' house I find.
In this array, 'mongst vulgars mayst thou roam
In critics hands, beware thou dost not come;
And take thy way where yet thou art not known,
If for thy father askt, say, thou hadst none:
And for thy mother, she alas is poor,
Which caus'd her thus to send thee out of door.
1678”

Bradstreeet, Anne. "To Her Dear and Loving Husband" 21 November 2006. 16 March 2008 <http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/Bradstreet/bradhyp.htm>

Self-Reflection

The following three poems by Anne Bradstreet exemplify the many different lifestyles experienced by white women during the Puritan era in America. As I read the three poems I was perplexed at the many different connotations that were expressed in order to express a primary point. Furthermore, the poems truly gave an insight to the lives of women and the duties they performed in order to maintain a healthy family. After reading Anne Bradstreet’s poems, I found that she expressed love in the lives of women as well as the many different thoughts that were undergone. Additionally, it was interesting to find the repetitive use figurative language within the poems in order to connote a main message. Therefore, I came to find that these pieces of work signified the lives of women during the Puritan Era within the early times of America and the different lifestyles that took place. Similarly, as I read the poems I was amazed at the different feelings that Anne Bradstreet expressed within her poems and how she utilized her language in order to convey a main purpose. After a while I asked myself, “Is an author capable of expressing so many ideas in so little words?” As a result, I found many emotions within the poems ranging from love to a sense of gloominess which I was perplexed to find. Thus it would seem that the three poems truly exhibited the lives of women and the many different feelings that they endured during the Puritan Era.

Dear Diary,
February 5, 1622

The days have passed and I have had a lot of spare free time on my hands, and therefore I have been reading poetry. As I stumbled upon the poems of Anne Bradstreet I decided to write a few poems myself, including the many domestic tasks that would take place within the house. As I walk around the new lands of America I have found that many of my fellow white settlers see women to perform jobs within the house in addition to performing other domestic tasks. Women have grown accustomed to an era in which their primary task is to care for children and provide meals for men who return from days of work. I wonder whether this had been the will of god, or instead an atmosphere created by the dominance of men in correlation to women. Now as I sit on my bed I have decided to write a poem myself relating the will of God to the tasks performed by women in the house. Similar to Anne Bradstreet, I have also shown my dedication to my true lover who I wish to marry in these new lands. I must honor the work of women, as it would be impossible to maintain the quality of a house without proper care and willingness. How would our children fare without the caring hands of women? How could we survive without women? What could we eat? These questions have all passed through my head as I write my poem.

As I have furthered into the process of completing my poem, I have found out many truths about women and how they must also rely upon men in order to provide a stable income and life to preserve. If it were not for men, women would not qualify to live under a roof, and therefore it is for this reason that I believe that a sense of codependence occurs between a wife and husband. After weeks of deciding, I have truly found a sense of happiness within me as I write these poems. It is to the greatest extent that I believe it is the will of god that establishes the basis upon the duties of a woman and man. I must say, the poems of Anne Bradstreet truly exemplify the truths about the relationship between a man and a women and how duties are split within a family. Overall, I must say that I have truly enjoyed reflecting upon the poems of Anne Bradstreet as they truly express the duties within a family.

Poetry Charts

A Politcal Extension