Emily Speaking:
Long-time readers will know how much Emily Brontë means to me. You can read my love letter to Wuthering Heights here! But I think what I love about Emily most is that she was seemingly reserved and very private and appeared to be more introverted than me if that's even possible! What intrigues me more is that she only lived a wild life through her writing. As the daughter of a curate and living her life almost entirely in the grounds of a church, Emily's world would have been very small and conservative, to say the least. Emily proves the point that you don't have to live a crazy life to write about a crazy life. She was truly a remarkable writer with so many insights into humanity that still astound and shock people today.
I'm sure by now we all know how great her novel writing skills are, but in this blog post, I would like to share a few glimpses of Emily the wonderful poet. She is so much more than her one published novel and it still makes me sad that we only got to read one of her books (Charlotte... I'm looking at you...) Although we have no other novels, we have several wonderfully dark poems:
“What have those lonely mountains worth revealing?
More glory and more grief than I can tell”
Emily clearly had an affinity with nature and I love the way she brings it to life. Even the mountains have secrets, what a delicious thought!
“But the hearts that once adored me
Have long forgot their vow
And the friends that mustered round me
Have all forsaken now
‘Twas in a dream revealed to me
But not a dreamt of sleep
A dream of watchful agony
Of grief that would not weep"
Now, these words make me sad. Her evident loneliness steps out from the page. This passage is so heartbreakingly honest that it makes me wonder would Emily want them to be read by another? Although it sometimes feels intrusive to read this, I'm grateful for such insight into the suffering that some have to go through.
"No coward soul is mine
No trembler in the world's storm-troubled sphere
I see Heaven's glories shine
And Faith shines equal arming me from Fear"
Oh Emily, you are far from cowardly. So here's to you, dear Emily. A true kindred spirit and a friend found in the pages of my favourite book.
May your words continue to be carried through the ages!
Happy Birthday Pal x