"To My Dear and Loving Husband" is a poem written by Anne Bradstreet, a colonial American poet who is considered one of the first published poets in the United States. The poem is a love letter to Bradstreet's husband, in which she expresses her deep love and devotion to him.
In the opening lines of the poem, Bradstreet addresses her husband as "my dear and loving husband," and she goes on to describe how much she loves him. She writes, "If ever two were one, then surely we. If ever man were loved by wife, then thee." This opening line establishes the theme of unity and the deep bond that exists between the speaker and her husband.
Throughout the poem, Bradstreet uses vivid imagery and figurative language to convey the depth of her love for her husband. She compares their love to a "precious balm" that has the power to heal and restore, and she describes it as a "golden chain" that binds them together. She also uses the metaphor of a "golden wedding ring" to symbolize the eternal nature of their love.
In the final lines of the poem, Bradstreet reaffirms her love and commitment to her husband, saying that she will love him until the end of time. She writes, "I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold, or all the riches that the East doth hold." This line highlights the value and importance of love in Bradstreet's life, and the depth of her love for her husband.
Overall, "To My Dear and Loving Husband" is a poignant and beautifully written poem that captures the enduring nature of true love. Through her use of vivid imagery and figurative language, Bradstreet conveys the deep bond that exists between her and her husband, and the enduring love that they share.
Poetry Pairing
Both families opposed a marriage, and nature itself seemed lined up against them. What does the following stanza from To My Dear and Loving Husband reveal about Puritan beliefs in the afterlife that when we live no more we may live ever? 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. Her writing style is typical of Puritan writing in some cases, and in other cases it is atypical of Puritan writing. Lines 5-6 I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold, Or all the riches that the East doth hold. As Puritanism she was not supposed to write poetry. The poem consists of six heroic couplets — twelve lines in total.
Anne Bradstreet “My Dear Loving Husband” Analysis Essay Example
Three times, then, the speaker asserts that her marriage exhibits many ideals associated with marriage in her historical period. Here as in so many other ways in this poem, a balanced and symmetrical structure and phrasing repeatedly seem appropriate to the balanced, reciprocal relationship the poem both describes and celebrates. Anaphora It is the repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences. It was a nascent civilisation still developing. The poem thus implicitly argues against some religious poets who describe love as a sinful or unholy act. Lines 9-10 Thy love is such I can no way repay; The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
"To My Dear and Loving Husband" by Anne Bradstreet
Just like a mother critiques her child as she walks out the door, Bradstreet critiques her book before the second edition is published. Analysis: The poem begins with Bradstreet describing herself and her husband as one being. Thy love is such I can no way repay; The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray. Besides the major gender biased-roles of the Puritan era, she was still an educated, well-bred woman and solely wrote about her life as a wife and mother. The poet adopts Puritan Plain Style which is characterized by plain and simple language in order to express herself clearly. With a few exceptions, the poem shows the mastery of the difficult iambic meter.
