Queen Henrietta Maria
Queen Henrietta Maria - meaning Summary
Loyalty Amid War's Ruin
The poem presents Queen Henrietta Maria as a dignified, sorrowful figure waiting in a military camp, embodying steadfast loyalty amid the devastation of war. The speaker shifts from public spectacle to intimate admiration, celebrating her beauty and emotional power as a balm that erases fatigue, political conviction, and loneliness. Themes include devotion, the consoling force of eroticized reverence, and the tension between civic strife and private consolation.
Read Complete AnalysesIn the lone tent, waiting for victory, She stands with eyes marred by the mists of pain, Like some wan lily overdrenched with rain: The clamorous clang of arms, the ensanguined sky, War's ruin, and the wreck of chivalry, To her proud soul no common fear can bring: Bravely she tarrieth for her Lord the King, Her soul a-flame with passionate ecstasy. O Hair of Gold! O Crimson Lips! O Face Made for the luring and the love of man! With thee I do forget the toil and stress, The loveless road that knows no resting place, Time's straitened pulse, the soul's dread weariness, My freedom and my life republican!
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