The two collections of poetry published in his lifetime revolve around the themes of beauty, youth, death, and patriotism. “The Lovliest of Trees” is a part of his earlier collection, A Shropshire Lad. Describing a blooming cherry tree, the speaker states that it is comparable to his fading youth. He recalls the past twenty years of his lifetime and presumes that he has fifty more to live. He wishes to appreciate nature’s beauty during the time he has left: “And since to look at things in bloom/
Fifty springs are little room” (Housman 9-10). The genuinity of the speaker can be contrasted with Dorian Gray’s lack thereof:
“How sad it is I shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young. It will never …show more content…
Born in London on September 23, 1861, she descended from a long line of authors. Her family’s name and connections provided her with a legitimate education and reputation. As a young child, her natural curiosity for learning nurtured her in her future career. She was fascinated with the Hebrew alphabet and quickly became fluent in the language as well as in French, German, Greek, and Italian. Her first published works came about in the 1880s, when she produced criticisms for the publication, The Theater. Mary navigated her way through a male dominated profession, finding ways to make herself known and impress those who could help her establish herself as recognized poet of the time. Up until her death in August of 1907, she worked to produce a large collection of works including assortments of poetry, biographies, and several novels (All Poetry). Her poem, “The Other Side of a Mirror” was published in 1896 and displayed several of the main themes of Victorian society that she generally incorporated in her work. Jealousy and resentment cause a woman to look at her reflection in a mirror, and watch as these internal emotions are reflected externally: “A face bereft of loveliness/ It had no envy now to hide” (Coleridge 8-9). The direct relationship between the speaker and the very similar experiences of Dorian Gray speaks volumes. Dorian made the same choice: youth and beauty over morality and sanity. He first came to recognizes the result of his impetuous request when he abandoned Sibyl Vane because of her inadequate performance: “the face on the canvas bear the burden of his passion and sins; that the painted image might be seared with the lines of suffering and thought, and that he might keep all the delicate bloomand loveliness of his then just conscious boyhood” (Wilde 103). Instead of watching his skin take the toll of the time in which he has sinned, he comes to the realization that his portrait
Fifty springs are little room” (Housman 9-10). The genuinity of the speaker can be contrasted with Dorian Gray’s lack thereof:
“How sad it is I shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young. It will never …show more content…
Born in London on September 23, 1861, she descended from a long line of authors. Her family’s name and connections provided her with a legitimate education and reputation. As a young child, her natural curiosity for learning nurtured her in her future career. She was fascinated with the Hebrew alphabet and quickly became fluent in the language as well as in French, German, Greek, and Italian. Her first published works came about in the 1880s, when she produced criticisms for the publication, The Theater. Mary navigated her way through a male dominated profession, finding ways to make herself known and impress those who could help her establish herself as recognized poet of the time. Up until her death in August of 1907, she worked to produce a large collection of works including assortments of poetry, biographies, and several novels (All Poetry). Her poem, “The Other Side of a Mirror” was published in 1896 and displayed several of the main themes of Victorian society that she generally incorporated in her work. Jealousy and resentment cause a woman to look at her reflection in a mirror, and watch as these internal emotions are reflected externally: “A face bereft of loveliness/ It had no envy now to hide” (Coleridge 8-9). The direct relationship between the speaker and the very similar experiences of Dorian Gray speaks volumes. Dorian made the same choice: youth and beauty over morality and sanity. He first came to recognizes the result of his impetuous request when he abandoned Sibyl Vane because of her inadequate performance: “the face on the canvas bear the burden of his passion and sins; that the painted image might be seared with the lines of suffering and thought, and that he might keep all the delicate bloomand loveliness of his then just conscious boyhood” (Wilde 103). Instead of watching his skin take the toll of the time in which he has sinned, he comes to the realization that his portrait