The Complete Poems of Anne Bronte

by Anne Brontë (Editor), Clement King Shorter (Editor)

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, 19th Century, Victorian, English Literature

180 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1971

About the author

Anne Brontë was an English novelist and poet, the youngest member of the Brontë literary family. Anne's two novels, written in a sharp and ironic style, are completely different from the romanticism followed by her sisters, Emily Brontë and Charlotte Brontë. She wrote in a realistic, rather than a romantic style. Mainly because the re-publication of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was prevented by Charlotte Brontë after Anne's death, she is less known than her sisters. However, her novels, like those of her sisters, have become classics of English literature.

The daughter of a poor Irish clergyman in the Church of England, Anne Brontë lived most of her life with her family at the parish of Haworth on the Yorkshire moors. In Elizabeth Gaskell's biography, Anne's father remembered her as precocious, reporting that once, when she was four years old, in reply to his question about what a child most wanted, she answered: "age and experience".

During her life Anne was particularly close to Emily. When Charlotte's friend Ellen Nussey visited Haworth in 1833, she reported that Emily and Anne were "like twins", "inseparable companions". Together they created imaginary world Gondal after they broke up from Charlotte and Branwell who created another imaginary world – Angria.

For a couple of years she went to a boarding school. At the age of 19 she left Haworth and worked as a governess between 1839 and 1845.

After leaving her teaching position, she fulfilled her literary ambitions. She wrote a volume of poetry with her sisters (Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell, 1846) and two novels. Agnes Grey, based upon her experiences as a governess, was published in 1847. Her second and last novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, which is considered to be one of the first sustained feminist novels, appeared in 1848 and was an instant, phenomenal success; within six weeks it was sold out.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is perhaps the most shocking of the Brontës' novels. In seeking to present the truth in literature, Anne's depiction of alcoholism and debauchery was profoundly disturbing to 19th-century sensibilities. Helen Graham, the tenant of the title, intrigues Gilbert Markham and gradually she reveals her past as an artist and wife of the dissipated Arthur Huntingdon. The book's brilliance lies in its revelation of the position of women at the time, and its multi-layered plot.

Her sister Emily's death on 19 December 1848 deeply affected Anne and her grief undermined her physical health. Over Christmas, Anne caught influenza. Her symptoms intensified, and in early January, her father sent for a Leeds physician, who diagnosed her condition as consumption, and intimated that it was quite advanced leaving little hope of recovery. Anne met the news with characteristic determination and self-control.

Unlike Emily, Anne took all the recommended medicines, and responded to the advice she was given. That same month she wrote her last poem, " A dreadful darkness closes in", in which she deals with being terminally ill.

In February 1849, Anne decided to make a return visit to Scarborough in the hope that the change of location and fresh sea air might initiate a recovery. However, it was clear that she had little strength left.

Dying, Anne expressed her love and concern for Ellen and Charlotte, and seeing Charlotte's distress, whispered to her to "take courage". Conscious and calm, Anne died at about two o'clock in the afternoon, Monday, 28 May 1849.

Reviews

[[ J o ] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst only ever writing two novels before her illness lead to untimely death, Anne Bronte wrote around 70 poems that are as atmospheric as her or her sisters novels.

There seems three of four themes that run through them all, whilst a melancholy lays itself on top of everything, usually transcending from nighttime reveries. Family and home are both a comfort and a seemingly dark, rising figure, with the warmth and fire of a hearth keeping her mind from her sorrow, yet the silhouette cast by a bright new moon at night of the imposing homes she knew making her feel it evermore.

Children play a large role as well-either through musings at their waning youth or a sadness at the missed opportunity to be a mother-but you see she mourns her own childhood much the same. A time when she wandered care-free and with abandon and feels she no longer is able to-either through health or because she is now grown-up.

God and Christianity is the most imposing theme, though it seems less like a preaching and more like pure, unadulterated love. It always feels a similar tone when those who are taken too young know it, and are often far more calm about it that others-feeling the calming through their love of god. It can become tiresome to read of it, especially if one does not believe oneself, yet the glimmers of joy and almost sparks of happiness that come forth are impossible to deny. Faith is a beautiful, hopeful thing.

But there is such a sadness as Anne clearly believes she is so full of sin as to make her treacherous. These poems are at once atmospheric and tumultuous. Nature and Religion come together almost perfectly, as it always used to do in the romantic days, but above and below it all flows the melancholy of one who-perhaps wrongly-was brought up in a time and told she must be wicked in any way. It is quite sad to read, but there are moments of wonder and joy as she describes her scenery and the things that bring happiness.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some very sad, lonely poetry from a woman who was clearly, I think, suffering badly from depression. It offers some insight into the mind of Anne, thought by some the least gifted of the famous sisters and by some the most radical writer.

The Captive Dove

Poor restless dove, I pity thee;
And when I hear thy plaintive moan,
I mourn for thy captivity,
And in thy woes forget mine own.

To see thee stand prepared to fly,
And flap those useless wings of thine,
And gaze into the distant sky,
Would melt a harder heart than mine.

In vain - in vain! Thou canst not rise:
Thy prison roof confines thee there;
Its slender wires delude thine eyes,
And quench thy longings with despair.

Oh, though wert made to wander free
In sunny mead and shady grove,
And far beyond the rolling sea,
In distant climes, at will to rove!

Yet, hadst though but one gentle made
Thy little drooping heart to cheer,
And share with thee thy captive state,
Thou couldst be happy even there.

Yes, even there, if, listening by,
One faithful dear companion stood,
While gazing on her full bright eye,
Thou mightst forget thy native wood

But though, poor solitary dove,
Must make, unheard, thy joyless moan;
The heart that Nature formed to love
Must pine, neglected, and alone.

My next book: Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four vol. 15

[Dhanaraj Rajan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always find myself in difficulty when writing a review for a poetry collection. May be, I love to read poetry than to analyse it. Analyzing it might kill the simple and pure enjoyment of a beautifully written poem. On the other hand, I love to analyze the characters in a novel or to delve into subtle allusions hinted at. With poetry, the rule is simple: Read it, Feel it and Enjoy it.

This collection is a gift by a lovely Goodreads friend. Or else, I am not sure I would have read it this soon. A short collection. There are only 21 poems in it. But I loved reading almost all of them. The themes are repetitive. Major themes as I found them are: Memory, Transience of Life, Infancy, and God.

The beauty is in the language. The language is simple and straight and speaks direct to the heart. I love such talks.

A Sample. This is the first poem in the collection.

A REMINISCENCE

Yes, thou art gone! and never more
Thy sunny smile shall gladden me;
But I may pass the old church door,
And pace the floor that covers thee,

May stand upon the cold, damp stone,
And think that, frozen, lies below
The lightest heart that I have known,
The kindest I shall ever know.

Yet, though I cannot see thee more,
‘Tis still a comfort to have seen;
And though thy transient life is o’er,
‘Tis sweet to think that thou hast been;

To think a soul so near divine,
Within a form so angel fair,
United to a heart like thine,
Has gladdened once our humble sphere.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Final Note to self:
I have never read any of her two novels. Now that I have read her poems I will certainly look for them.

[bookstories_travels🪐 · Rating 5 out of 5]

#Retovictorianspirits de la cuenta @victorianspiritsblog, premisa "Un libro de las Brontë".

Y con este tomo de poemas ya me he leído todo lo que escribieron las hermanas Brontë que hay publicado al español (creo. Me suena que hay varios volúmenes traducidos de las historias y poemas que Charlotte escribió junto a su hermano Bramwell sobre el mundo imaginario de Angria. Pero no he encontrado nunca esos libros) lo cual ha revestido de cierto sentimentalismo esta lectura, algo muy acorde con los poemas que contiene. De todas formas, una de las mayores ilusiones que tenía a nivel literario desde hace muchos años era poder leer la poesía completa de Charlotte, Emily y Anne. Oportunidad que no he tenido hasta que la editorial Alba nos ha traído esta poesía al español, muy bien traducida y editada.

¿Y qué puedo decir? Esta obra es, una vez más, la prueba palpable de algo de lo que cualquier lector de las Brontë es consciente: que Anne haya pasado a la historia como “la otra hermana” es una de las mayores injusticias literarias de la historia. Siempre me ha dado la impresión de que esto se debía a que sus obras tiene un tinte más realista y pragmático que los excesos románticos y apasionados de sus hermanas. En lo personal, su novela “La Inquilina de Wildfell Hall” nunca me ha parecido que tenga nada que desmerecer a otra de mis novelas preferidas, “Jane Eyre” de Charlotte (otro cantar ya es “Cumbres Borrascosas” de Emily, pero es que resulta que es mi libro preferido de la vida. Así que nada puede competir con él). Como ya señaló la crítica en el año 1846, fecha en la que las hermanas Brontë, bajo seudónimos masculinos, publicaron una recopilación de sus poesías, los poemas de Anne me han parecido mejores a los de Charlotte, pero siendo superados por la magnífica poesía de Emily. Una muestra más de que la menor de las hermanas no tenía nada que envidiar a las otras dos. Pero para nada. Por cierto, al igual que con los de Charlotte, los poemas que nos ocupan ahora me parecen muy buen punto para iniciarse en la lectura de la poesía. No son muy difíciles de leer, la forma de componer de la autora y los temas que trabaja son bastante accesibles.

Todos sus trabajos (en prosa y poesía) son fiel reflejo de como la Brontë desafiaron las convenciones sociales al dedicarse a su gran pasión, la escritura, y publicar sus trabajos, labores reservadas a los hombres en la Inglaterra pre-victorianas. Y todo ello escribiendo obras que desafiaban los parámetros sociales impuestos a las mujeres en una época en la que solo se esperaba de ellas que fueran, sumisamente, hijas, esposas y madres. En Anne se ve claramente aquello de que la timidez no equivale a la resignación; que parecer que se es delicada no es sinónimo de serlo; que la pasividad puede ser mera apariencia; que la dulzura (tan presente en toda su poesía, ya sea en su vertiente más alegre como melancólica)puede recubrir un carácter de hierro cuando la situación lo requiere. Y que ser dueña de esa característica no te hace más pequeñita ni débil.

Su propia vida da fe de ello: las pérdidas familiares condicionaron el principio y el final de su excesivamente breve existencia; de las tres hermanas fue la que más aguantó en un puesto de trabajo como institutriz fuera de su hogar, pese a que la añoranza por el mismo y la melancolía no la dejaron de atosigar nunca; el único hombre del que estuvo enamorada (un coadjutor de su padre) murió prematuramente dejándola desolada, una muerte que tuvo un fuerte impacto en su vida y producción literaria; padeció lo que algún biógrafo ha definido como “melancolía religiosa”, un sentimiento de aflicción que afectaba a la escritora a raíz de sentir que su fe y sus obras no eran suficientes para lograr salvarse, pues era una pecadora destinada a no poder gozar de la salvación eterna tras la muerte. De esto bebió mucho a partir de la doctrina de la salvación universal, en la cual (y cito textualmente del prologo con el que se inicia esta lectura) “no existe la predestinación, sino que todos los seres humanos serían salvados por Dios de la condenación eterna y aquí la gracia y el paraíso”. Una creencia en la que , a lo largo del poemario, se insiste una y otra vez, ya que fue una cuestión que, como se ve en la obra, llego a obsesionarla y a ser el leimotiv central de su trabajo. Además el que los poemas estén colocados en orden cronológico, según fueron escritos, da la oportunidad al lector de comprobar la evolución de Anne tanto a nivel artístico como a nivel personal, ser testigo de primera mano de cómo fue madurando en todos los sentidos con el paso de los años.

De toda esa biografía llena de sufrimientos, sacrificios, sensibilidad extrema, amor por la escritura y fuego interior dan fe estos poemas. En ellos se despliega toda una biografía, cuyo punto de partida son los primeros poemas que leemos (creados para el país imaginario de Gondall que ideo junto a Emily) protagonizados por personajes heroicos y sacrificados, grandes pasiones amorosos y guerra sin cuartel; y cuyo viaje va hasta los últimos sonetos, marcados por las pérdidas de sus hermanos Emily y Branwell y por la necesidad de buscar consuelo y fortaleza en la religiosidad; y el presentimiento de una muerte inminente. Y entre medias, toda una obra marcada por el amor hacia la naturaleza y sus bellezas, la necesidad de estar en comunión con Dios, el amor y el desamor, la añoranza, el dolor y el duelo, el recuerdo y la búsqueda de la esperanza y la resignación para seguir sobreviviendo.

Como ya hizo con los poemas de Emily y Charlotte, la editorial Alba nos trae la de Anne en una cuidada y estupenda edición bilingüe. Por un lado está la versión original del poema en inglés, y por otro una excelente traducción. Esto hace que la lectura sea incluso más interesante y amena de lo que ya sería de por sí sola. Al igual que los de Charlotte, la mayoría de ellos están inscritos en lo más profundo de la tradición romántica inglesa, donde se ve la influencia de autores como Byron, Wordworth, Coleridge o Shouthey. Muchos de ellos son historiados y otros están enraizados en sentimientos de profunda exaltación religiosa .Otros, por su parte, tratan de sentimientos y sensaciones que la autora aborda con un tono profundamente intimista. Ninguno de ellos, puedo asegurarooslo, tiene desperdicio. En ellos se ve toda la pasión, rebeldía, vitalidad y ansias de independencia y libertad que la monótona vida en una rectoria en los fríos paramos de York dificilmente podía contener. Y que fue tan parte de la vida y obrade Anne como de la de sus hermanas.

La lectura de la poesía completa de Anne Brontë ha sido para mi un paseo que es como la vida misma: un viaje entre la luz y las sombras, donde a veces hay momentos de felicidad y alegría junto a otros de dudas, miedo y tristeza. Esta es la trayectoria vital en verso de una mujer de menos de 30 años tan real como la vida misma, que encontró en si misma y en su fe las fuerzas para seguir adelante en un mundo y una situación que no siempre le fueron favorables. Como le ha pasado siempre a muchísimas personas. La vida de las hermanas Brontë siempre se ha visto rodeada por un halo de romanticismo mezclado con una pátina de dramatismo y melancolía. El que esos elementos estuviera presentes, y el que sus vidas fueran tan trágicamente cortas, no quita para que fuera mujeres de carne y hueso, con sus alegrías y sus esperanzas, con sus virtudes y sus defectos, con sus momentos de optimismo y sus momentos de tristeza. Y así nos lo demuestra Anne. En este libro conviven la niña que se recrea en los dramas románticos de los personajes que creo de niña, con la mujer que trata de ser optimista pese a todo, que sufría o se molestaba por las disputas que había en su casa (en ese sentido el poema ”Paz Domestica” me ha parecido muy interesante ) y con la mujer que reconoce sus defectos y busca el consuelo y la salvación en lo divino (otros poemas que me han llamado mucho la atención y que fueron de los últimos que compuso son el largo “Recogimiento” y “El sendero Estrecho”. Leerlos duele por lo conmovedores que resulta, por cómo demuestran la lucha interna que Anne llevaba a cuestas consigo misma).

La tercera hermana tiene voz propia, tan llena de potencia y con tantas cosas que decir y clamar como la de sus otras dos célebres hermanas. Por suerte, en los últimos tiempos, se le está empezando a dar la importancia que se merece tan justamente.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

De verdad la poesía es una cosa tan mágica... (Y mira que no leo mucha poesía eeeh)

He llorado con algunos poemas porque he conectado mucho!! YO que parece que últimamente no conecto con nada de lo que leo!!!!

Tiene poemas bastante religiosos que a veces me daban pereza, pero tenían su belleza. Y sin haberlo planeado me ha salido un pareado 😎

En general, me ha gustado mucho. Tengo un librito de poemas de cada hermana Brontë. Y creo que ya las quiero (dep)

Anita, Carlota, Emilia... GRACIAS ❤️

[alba martez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy bonito, a veces demasiado religioso pero lo entiendo por la época y aún así está escrito tan bonito que me gusta igual

[lassie · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a depressing, angsty way to write about life. The general theme carrying over from poem to poem is that living is awful, the weather is bad, people die, and the writer feels wretched because she assumes herself to be really sinful, which in turn makes her constantly doubt her chances of getting to a nice afterlife.

It's not that these things aren't present in life, but that the sole source of any joy presented in the very repetitive writing is the (perceived) possibility of one day dying and ending up in the Christian heaven, and everything else is discarded as disappointing.

Not an enjoyable read. The only saving grace were the few poems where nature is discussed without dismissing it e.g. because "we'll die anyway". Read if you like drawn out complaints written in flowery language.

[martita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha gustado bastante, puntualizo las siguientes cuestiones que me han gustado:

- Tiene el poema en idioma original y la traducción en español.

- La temática de los poemas, en general, ha ido orientada a la muerte, el duelo de superación, la creencia y fe en dios y, en menor parte el amor. Es cierto que he conectado mayoritariamente con la mayoría de las obras, aquellas dedicadas a la creencia y fe absoluta en dios, pues como no soy religiosa, no tanto. Aún así, resalto la escritura de los poemas, me ha gustado mucho y, pese a no ser creyente, no se me ha resultado pesado.

- En cuanto a los demás poemas, relacionados con la muerte y el amor, son mis favoritos.

Lo recomiendo muchísimo, Anne Brönte siempre será mi favorita de las tres hermanas y la delicadeza y calidez que tiene escribiendo, son razones por las que siempre consideraré a esta autora como una de las mejores 💖

[Anna Pérez Carreño · Rating 3 out of 5]

(...)

"La tierra no produce aromas como esos
que sus brisas transportan,
pero el que no se atreve a agarrar las espinas
no debería desear la rosa."

(...)

Fragmento del poema "El sendero estrecho".

[Maria Rosas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelentes versos de la autora , me agradó conocer mas de su percepción ante la vida , la esperanza por la vida eterna y el sacrificio terreno gracias a su formación religiosa se puede contemplar a través de sus versos , un gran trabajo está compilación de su poesía

[Alba · Rating 3 out of 5]

But he that dares not grasp the thorn
Should never crave the rose.

[Phil Syphe · Rating 3 out of 5]

In all there are 54 poems by Anne Brontë in this collection.

I'm not a fan of poetry and this is the first collection of poems that I've read willingly - they forced me to read a lot at university.

My reason for reading this collection is because I'm a big fan of Anne's prose fiction. As she only wrote two novels, I wanted to read everything else she penned during her short life.

I'd recently read 20 of these poems in a mixture of prose and poetry featured in the collection of works by the Brontë siblings - namely 'Tales of Glass Town, Angria, and Gondal' - and discovered that Anne's poetry was far more palatable than any poems I'd read at university.

Anne's poems are largely epic, telling stories, rather than trying to be cryptic and saying one thing whilst meaning another, which is why I didn't dislike this collection.

[TommyLovesEli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never felt that wonder in poems as a child, though I knew some honored poets a great deal.
Then in college I met a homeless man who wrote the only poem I ever bothered to memorize.
As college came to a close I met a girl whose poetry I loved. Every poem good and I thought perhaps she will end up being my favorite poet, LRJ from The University of Akron.

I was wrong Anne Brontë is my favorite poet. One poem from her is worth more than all the poetry written by her two sisters and in the end I must now conclude she is a better poet than LRJ. Forgive me Lynette.

[Annamir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this by accident, teaching kids how to use our library catalog search. Bought my own copy. Thank you, Mr. Chitham, for an enlightening, balanced and very needed solo bio of the "baby" Bronte.

One caveat: I have the Macmillan American English version, the text in the footnotes and the biography is tiny. No illustrations other than the dust jacket.

[Sanbika · Rating 5 out of 5]

My gains are light-my progress slow;
For hard's the way I have to go,
And my worst enemies, I know,
Are these within my breast;
And it is hard to toil for aye
Through sultry noon and twilight grey
To toil and never rest.

[Gea · Rating 5 out of 5]

So tragic and sad, but beautiful. Anne was a tender soul.

[Julianna Wagar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreakingly beautiful.

[Debyi Kucera (Book&BuJo) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Complete Poems of Anne Bronte is a hauntingly beautiful collection. Each poem is so atmospheric helping you to feel what Anne Bronte was most likely feeling as she wrote them.

Each of the poems were interesting, but these are my favorites:
The North Wind - haunting and beautiful
The Parting
Despondency - Such pouring out of the soul!
Memory - so sweet
Confidence - inspirational
Last Lines - beautiful

[Livier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Qué maravilloso poemario de toda una vida.
Es la primera vez que leo a una de las hermanas Brontë y me ha gustado ese tono de melancolía.
La verdad que me gustaron varios de los poemas, varios resonaron conmigo y me gusta cómo es que al haber pasado varios siglos estos poemas puedan seguir resonando en muchas personas.

Lo recomiendo.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Went through this a bit in stops and starts, but I'm glad I read it (and kinda surprised I hadn't before)! Especially at the end I really got the sense of her developing as a poet - just another reason to regret Anne Brontë's early death, I guess.

[Jerry Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting poetry but her novels are much better, especially The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sus poemas me aburren, la mayoría son religiosos y repetitivos. Algunos me medio gustaron, pero nada me encantó.

[Library of Dreaming (Bookstagram) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very mixed collection for me. Anne, I love you but did all of the poems have to be so bleak?? I don't think her style is for me, unfortunately.

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

<3

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Qué puedo decir más allá de que es una maravilla.

[Micaela *CLONAZINE* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yo la amo profundamente a Anne, preciosos todos los poemas y tienen un tono religioso también.

[Dergi Santana Martínez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que hermoso ha sido leer la poesía de Anne ❤️‍🩹

Sus poemas están cargados de sensibilidad y melancolía, sentimientos que se transmiten al corazón en cada línea.

[Geno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ha sido la poesía que más sencilla me ha resultado de leer de las tres hermanas.

[John E. Norvell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the Brontë girls. "Jane Eyre" is probably my favorite novel, and Emily is my favorite poet. And yet Anne's poetry is very good as well. All three girls wrote mostly in the 4+3 format (tetrameter + trimeter), which is not my favorite form, but there are plenty of examples where they went beyond that. My favorite poem of Anne's is "Night", but I enjoy others as well.

There are other reviewers here on goodreads that have noted that Anne was most likely clinically depressed throughout her life. I would have to admit that she had a melancholy personality, and it came through in her writing. She was in love with one man who died. Her mother, two oldest sisters, her brother, and her favorite sister Emily all passed away early. That along with the era in which she lived, where women felt to use pseudonyms so that they would be taken seriously as authors, and her meager prospects for any kind of rewarding life, help to explain the emotional challenges she must have faced. Aside from those challenges, the three sister accomplished a great deal with their groundbreaking novels and influential poetry.

I do enjoy Anne's poetry, in particular her use of rhyme and meter, and her vocabulary. She wrote with words and topics that were relatable to the ordinary people of her time, and are still meaningful today. There is great beauty in the soul of her writing expressed through the cadence and music of her lines. It seems to me that people who lived 150+ years ago were deep thinkers, at least in comparison to the average person today. I enjoy reading the thoughts of those who came before knowing that I have much to learn from them.

[Naiara FORGAS · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5☆