A Letter to Daphnis: Anne Finch, Countess of Winchelsea
Anne Finch, Countess of Winchelsea expressed affection towards her husband via poetry, which was, in her time, a medium of expression dominated by men. Her husband's encouragement of her creative pursuits was among many factors that produced a happy marriage. Daphnis became her husband's neo-Classical nickname, which the Finches and their literary friends each adopted. In Finch's versified billet-doux, A
Letter to Daphnis, April 2, 1685, Finch relegates her marital bliss by citing love as the reason for her poetry.
She begins her poem, "This to the crown and blessing of my life,/The much loved husband of a happy wife,/To him whose constant passion found the art/To win a stubborn and ungrateful heart" (1-4), relegating her husband to the role of a muse. Metonymy in the first line confirms affection towards her husband as the inspiration of her poem. Enjambment connects lines 2-3, emphasizing the surplus of source material derived from the poet's gratefulness to her significant other. Finch concludes her statement, "And to the world by tenderest proof discovers/They err, who say that husbands can't be lovers."
(5-6). Anastrophe in line 5 underscores her husband's gentle yet profound effects, a source of wonder which provides her with poetic stirrings. By adhering to pentameter, Finch gives the introduction a formal, reverent tone, appropriate for adressing one's motivating subject. The poem continues, "With such a return of passion, as is due,/Daphnis
I love, Daphnis my thoughts pursue,/Daphnis, my hopes, my joys are bounded all in you:/Even I, for Daphnis, and my promise sake,/What I in women censure, undertake" (7-11), furthering the theme of partnership as a joyous well of inspiration. The poet explains that her "passion" (7) stems from a reaction to his "passion" (3) to show that the give-and-take rhythms of maried life continuously stimulate expressions of love. Combining anastrophe with anaphora while she proclaims her love for
Letter to Daphnis, April 2, 1685, Finch relegates her marital bliss by citing love as the reason for her poetry.
She begins her poem, "This to the crown and blessing of my life,/The much loved husband of a happy wife,/To him whose constant passion found the art/To win a stubborn and ungrateful heart" (1-4), relegating her husband to the role of a muse. Metonymy in the first line confirms affection towards her husband as the inspiration of her poem. Enjambment connects lines 2-3, emphasizing the surplus of source material derived from the poet's gratefulness to her significant other. Finch concludes her statement, "And to the world by tenderest proof discovers/They err, who say that husbands can't be lovers."
(5-6). Anastrophe in line 5 underscores her husband's gentle yet profound effects, a source of wonder which provides her with poetic stirrings. By adhering to pentameter, Finch gives the introduction a formal, reverent tone, appropriate for adressing one's motivating subject. The poem continues, "With such a return of passion, as is due,/Daphnis
I love, Daphnis my thoughts pursue,/Daphnis, my hopes, my joys are bounded all in you:/Even I, for Daphnis, and my promise sake,/What I in women censure, undertake" (7-11), furthering the theme of partnership as a joyous well of inspiration. The poet explains that her "passion" (7) stems from a reaction to his "passion" (3) to show that the give-and-take rhythms of maried life continuously stimulate expressions of love. Combining anastrophe with anaphora while she proclaims her love for