The Lost Mistress
All’s over, then: does truth sound bitter
As one at first believes?
Hark, ’tis the sparrows’ good-night twitter
About your cottage eaves!And the leaf-buds on the vine are woolly,
I noticed that, today;
One day more bursts them open fully
– You know the red turns grey.Tomorrow we meet the same then, dearest?
May I take your hand in mine?
Mere friends are we, – well, friends the merest
Keep much that I resign:For each glance of the eye so bright and black,
Though I keep with heart’s endeavor, –
Your voice, when you wish the snowdrops back,
Though it stay in my soul for ever! –Yet I will but say what mere friends say,
Or only a thought stronger;
I will hold your hand but as long as all may,
Or so very little longer!
Summary of The Lost Mistress
- Popularity of “The Lost Mistress”: The poem, The Lost Mistress is a dramatic monologue, It was written by Robert Browning, a popular English poet. The poem was first published in 1845 and since then has become a classic. The popularity of the poem rests on its brief, crispy, and exact title as well as the sincerity of the message of marital love.
- “The Lost Mistress” As a Representative of Intense Love: Here, the speaker asks his beloved that she should pay attention to the twittering of the sparrow around their cottage. Although he is mentioning it to his lover, it is actually a sign to himself – a sign of reassurance that there is still hope to win love in his life. Yet, he also knows that after the night, the morning will follow and that their relationship will come to an end, after which they would be merely friends. Using the example of the buds turning into flowers and their transient life, he says that, like the flowers, the cycle of nature is quite short and brief. Therefore, this cycle of hiatus in their relationship will be bridged someway, and they will be friends again. So, he requests her to take his hands and praises her eyes, their black and bright quality. He further praises her, saying her voice is going to stay in his soul. In the last stanza, he is hoping against hope to cement the future relationship.
- Major Themes in “The Lost Mistress”: Transience of nature and love and optimism are three major thematic strands of this poem. The poem revolves around the transience of nature. Flowers and life are transient. Yet the argument of the poet that their friendship would stay is absurd in the presence of everything transient. His optimism is seen in the last stanza that they would stay in touch with each other.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in The Lost Mistress
Literary devices are techniques that writers use to convey their ideas, feelings, and message to the readers. Robert Browning also has used various literary devices to enhance the intended impacts of his poem. Some of the major literary devices are analyzed below.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line. For example, the sound of /ee/ in “Tomorrow we meet the same then, dearest?”
- Alliteration: It is the use of successive consonant sounds in the initials of the successive words. For example, the sound of /l/ in “little longer!”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line. For example, the sound of /r/ in “Hark, ’tis the sparrows’ good-night twitter” and the sound of /m/ in “Tomorrow we meet the same then, dearest?”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “And the leaf-buds on the vine are woolly”, “One day more bursts them open fully” and “For each glance of the eye so bright and black.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between different objects. The poem shows the metaphors of sparrows to show the revival of love and the use of buds to show the temporariness of time.
- Personification: The poet has used the soul and buds to have life and emotions of their own.
- Rhetorical Question: Rhetorical question is a question that is not asked to receive an answer; it is just posed to make the point clear. For example, “All’s over, then: does truth sound bitter / As one at first believes? Or “Tomorrow we meet the same then, dearest?”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from literal meanings. The poem shows the symbols of sparrows and buds for the optimism of the poet.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in The Lost Mistress
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows an ABAB rhyme scheme that lasts until the end.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are five stanzas in this poem, with each comprising four lines/verses.
- Quatrain: A stanza having four lines is also called a quatrain.
Quotes to be Used
These lines from “The Lost Mistress” are relevant to use during a speech at a friend’s wedding.
Tomorrow we meet the same then, dearest?
May I take your hand in mine?
Mere friends are we, – well, friends the merest
Keep much that I resign: