The prolouge to this poem suggests two different interpretations of the poem. The one used in this book is the husband and wife share the grief of their separation. And yet, as I read this poem, I can pick out a section that leads me to believe the second interpretation; that of the husband turning against his wife.
"My Lord commanded me to stay in this place". Her husband regardless of the fact that she had no friends, made no arrangements for her. If there were indeed such deep emotion on his part, he would have made arrangements for her care and well being before he left on whatever trip he took. Left alone, this wife set out to find shelter from kinsmen. She states, "Then I found my husband likeminded - luckless, gloomy, hiding murderous thoughts in his heart." It would seem that someone must have said something to her to make her think her husband now hides murderous thoughts. She also says "our friendship is as if it had never been". Whether they initially had a good relationship is questionable. If they did have a good relationship, and exchanged a vow that only death would separate them, then something happened to change his opinion.
I definitely agree and wrote my rumination on this as well. I like how you used that first quote to back up your argument. I also feel that he would have done something for his wife to make sure she was safe, with people she could trust and cared about, etc. if he really truly loved her. The whole thing is sketchy to me.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I entirely agree with the statement that the husband "turned against" the wife. Reading the introduction, one suggestion is that this was initially an arranged marriage, to keep peace. Therefore, I find it hard to tell if he ever truly loved her, or if she ever loved him. The way she calls him "lord", rather than more endearing terms makes me feel as though they weren't in love to begin with, and never reached that level. The way I see it, she is lamenting over her sheer feelings of loneliness, rather than the fact that her husband has left. All she longs for is to be in a loving relationship. Unfortunately, she has been commanded to stay put, thus extinguishing her hopes.
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