The poet wants to creep into a cavern, fall asleep and die; he feels unworthy of the child’s love, and asks for her forgiveness. CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…
Sonnets of a Little Girl, VII, by Ernest Dowson
Category: English
Drifting Down, by Joseph Ashby-Sterry
The poems from Boudoir Ballads that we presented have shown the persistent love of Ashby-Sterry for young girls. But the poet had another passion: rivers, boats and rowing. In 1913 he published The River Rhymer, a collection of verse on this topic.
Some of his poems combine both passions, for instance a few ones in Boudoir Ballads told about a young girl loved on a river. I have thus selected three love poems from The River Rhymer, here is my first one: CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…
To a Child of Quality, by Matthew Prior
Matthew Prior (1664-1721) was an English poet and diplomat, whose poetry knew fame at the beginning of the 18th century. One of his most famous poems is “To a Child of Quality, Five Years Old, The Author Forty” (1704). Requested to write his love for a 5 years old little girl, he complies, but she cannot read his poems, she plays with the paper on which they are written; when she will reach an age where she can understand them, he will be too old for love. Indeed, as writes Prior’s biography by the Poetry Foundation: CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…
Sonnets of a Little Girl, VI, by Ernest Dowson
The poet bids farewell to the child whose smile was the sweetest thing in his life, and she will remain his dearest memory. CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…
Power in Silence, by Michael Field
I present today my last selection from Underneath the Bough, a love poem in “The Third Book of Songs” in that collection. It must be understood within the context of the lesbian relation between the two authors, Katharine Bradley and Edith Cooper. The poet loves a silent girl, but “her royal, jewelled speechlessness” does not mean that she does not reciprocate: “It were not right / To reckon her the poorer lover; / She does not love me less.” The two are like birds, looking for intimacy: “what is more dear / Than a cherry-bough, bees feeding near / In the soft, proffered blooms?” The young girl “is a dove” who must liberate herself from barriers and give herself fully to the power of love: “My close-housed bird should take her flight / To magnify our love.” CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…
Little Lettice is dead, by Michael Field
From “The Second Book of Songs” of Underneath the Bough, here is a poem devoted to a deceased little girl. CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…
Sonnets of a Little Girl, V, by Ernest Dowson
This beautiful poem, probably written in 1885, is the most fitting epitaph for this poet, who died too soon. CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…
Penelope, by Francis Thompson
Volume 2 of The works of Francis Thompson, Poems contains a section titled A Narrow Vessel, starting with the following description:
Being a little dramatic sequence on the aspect of primitive girl-nature towards a love beyond its capacities
It consists mostly of poems about unhappy love affairs with girls; they are often bitter and reproachful, sometimes telling of “sin.” CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…
Rebirth
In my last semi-annual editorial, I described the police persecution of our British website provider, culminating in his guilty plea. The administration of the websites was taken over by his son, who was forced to close them down in May, following a further police raid with a threat of confiscation of his servers, as well as a blackmail by British Telecom over his security clearance. The heart of the matter is explained in the latest Pigtails in Paint editorial: the latter website, as well as the blog of Graham Ovenden, had uncovered the misconduct of the UK police in the Ovenden frame-up trial and conviction. Corrupt cops must protect their careers by censoring the exposure of their treachery, leading them to further acts of abuse. CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…
Forbidden Fruit, by Roy Harper
The English folk rock singer, songwriter and guitarist Roy Harper (born on June 12, 1941) has released 32 albums during a career that has lasted over 50 years. His 7th album Valentine, released in 1974 with Harvest Records, contains 10 tracks, starting with the song “Forbidden Fruit” that tells of a love affair with a 13 years old girl. CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…