Analysis of Anne Bradstreet's Poem to My Dear and Loving Husband

Bradstreet’s poem addressed to her “dear and loving husband” portrays the intimacies of their relationship as well as the never ending feelings of true love shared between their idealistic and perfect romance. The poem consists of six rhyming couplets that serve to emphasize the speaker’s relentless attitude towards her lovingly perfect marriage. The time period in which this poem was written (1641-1643) and Bradstreet’s Puritan background provides some insight into what a Puritan outlook on love and marriage was during the mid 1600s. Throughout this poem, addressed to her husband, Bradstreet explores the depths of her adoring relationship, which stems from a bond so priceless that no materialistic possession can break it as well as the promise of a timeless romance that awaits those who love each other indefinitely through rough circumstances, and above all the complexity and undefinable nature behind such a seemingly simple emotion.

Firstly, Bradstreet justifies the value of their love by comparing it to rare and expensive possessions that pose no threat to the priceless bond between Bradstreet and her husband. Bradstreet claims to “prize” her husband’s love “more than whole mines of gold.” Gold is a ridiculously valuable element in part due to the rarity of the substance. Therefore, by claiming that her love is greater than her desire for a rare and valuable substance conveys that Bradstreet has found an even rarer and invaluable possession through the bond she shares with her husband. Additionally, gold is a temporary, materialistic possession that will soon vanish over time along with almost all valuable objects. However Bradstreet compares gold to her love to portray that the love she has for her husband will last on indefinitely unlike even the most valuable elements on the planet. Bradford’s heartfelt sentiment towards her husband brings to light the powerful and never ceasing feeling of love that plays a role in people’s lives far longer than any materialistic possessions. While these possessions come and go, love will always remain present throughout one’s life: either from one’s parents through childhood to eventually, a spouse. Bradstreet emphasizes her belief in love over any form of wealth by conveying that “the riches that the East doth hold” don’t compare to her priceless marriage. When Bradstreet mentions the “East,” she is referring to the southeast Asia. During this time period of the mid 1600s, regions of southeast Asia, particularly the British East India Company were generating a lot of revenue through their production of valuable goods such as tea, cotton, indigo, and spices. Considering the time period of this poem, these goods that the East provided were extremely glamorous and in high demand. Given the demand for these goods all around the world and Bradstreet’s preference over such valuable necessities brings to light how nothing the world had to offer her compared to the love her husband offered her. Nothing in this world compared to the value of their love. The enormity with which they loved each other surpass the bounds of any earthly substance, revealing that love is an indefinite feeling that is so complex and intricate that it cannot be simply compared to in terms of worldly objects. Bradstreet once again describes the inability to quantify such a powerful sentiment by describing that her “love is such that rivers cannot quench.” To “quench” is to satisfy one’s immediate desire for water. The fact that even a river’s large expanse of water is not sufficient enough to encompass Bradstreet’s emotions brings to light the complexity behind true love. While the beginning of the poem simply seemed to express Bradstreet’s love for her husband, the fifth through seventh lines emphasize the difficulty with which Bradstreet attempts to wholly depict her love. This reveals that love cannot be expressed with even an astounding vocabulary: it is much more complex emotion that surpasses any earthly or mundane understanding.

Secondly, Bradstreet conveys the promise of an eternity of life and love if a couple can overcome adverse circumstances. Throughout the beginning of the poem, Bradstreet focuses on her overwhelming and indescribable feelings of love and adoration towards her husband. As she nears the end, she conveys that a marriage is not always idealistic by claiming “while we live, in love let’s so persever.” The author uses to “persever” instead of persevere in order to maintain the rhyme scheme so that persever rhymes with the following line, which ends in ever. Persevere, on the other hand, is used to describe a quality necessary to overcome difficult situations. Bradstreet encourages her and her husband to overcome whatever rough circumstances they may face in order to strengthen their love. “Sever,” from “persever,” however, has much more severe and final connotations, conveying that a couple’s ability to overcome difficult circumstances either ensures the success of their relationship or guarantees its downfall. This line conveys a subtle change from the rest of the poem as she had previously been describing the perfect romance she shared with her husband. However, the double meaning behind “persever” brings to light that no relationship flourishes without struggles, it is how people cope with that struggle that determines the success and outcome of that relationship. While Bradstreet had initially been describing the effects of finding a perfect romance, she introduces the importance of working through unideal situations so that “when we live no more, we may live ever.” Bradstreet essentially promises immortality to those who manage to maintain their relationships for better or for worse. Whether they live on through the memories of others who knew them or they meet in heaven which “reward thee manifold,” remains up to interpretation. However, the author’s previously stated mention of the heavens indicates she believes in an afterlife which rewards those who wholly love. Her promise of an eternal life suggests that true love lives on through the hearts and memories of people in the relationship or those that knew them and that the parted souls may reunite in heaven once again for eternity.

Anne Bradstreet’s astounding and overwhelming portrayal of the loving relationship between her husband brings to light the complexity behind what is deemed to be a common emotion. The power of love has the capability to transcend any human or earthly boundaries and last forever in heaven and in the hearts of others.   

Works Cited

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