Biographical Sketch
Anne Brontë (1820-1849) was the sixth child in her family. She was the younger sister of Charlotte and Emily, and her work was sometimes disparaged when compared with that of her sisters. She tended to write religious poetry, while her sisters wrote more along the lines of romanticism. She worked as a governess at two estates, but both jobs ended badly, probably through no fault of her own.
The following poem (which may have been partially about the poet’s own life) was published in the book Victorian Women Poets: An Anthology (edited by Angela Leighton and Margaret Reynolds; published by Blackwell in 1995). I have modernized the spelling, except where the rhyme would be affected.
The Captive Dove
Poor restless Dove, I pity thee, [you]
And when I hear your plaintive moan
I’ll mourn for your captivity
And in your woes forget my own.
To see you stand prepared to fly,
And flap those useless wings of thine, [yours]
And gaze into the distant sky
Would melt a harder heart than mine.
In vain! In vain! You cannot rise—
Your prison roof confines you there;
Its slender wires delude your eyes,
And quench your longing with despair.
Oh! you were made to wander free
In sunny mead and shady grove,
And far beyond the rolling sea
In distant climes at will to rove.
Yet had you but one gentle mate
Your little drooping heart to cheer
And share with you your captive state,
You could be happy even there.
Yes, even there, if listening by
One faithful dear companion stood,
While gazing on her full bright eye
You might forget your native wood.
But you, poor solitary dove,
Must make unheard your joyless moan;
The heart that nature formed to love
Must pine neglected and alone.