Question 1

Absent from Thee by John Wilmot

Accepted Answer

Absent from thee is a satirical approach to the traditional love poetry, which gently mocks and makes light of the genre.  The speaker ruminates on his serial unfaithfulness, all the while admitting that while he does love his partner, he also has desires he cannot ignore.  Beneath the humorous tone, there is a sense of struggle; the speaker is potentially unhappy with some of his life choices, how he frequently indulges with ‘unblest’ hearts and only finds true peace and contentment with his real love.

Question 2

Non sum qualis era bonae regna Cynarae by Ernest Dowson

Accepted Answer

The long, scarily-Latin title of this poem can seem daunting, but it is actually just a quotation from the famous Roman poet, Horace. Translated, it means I am not as I was in the reign of good Cynara. In Horace’s poem, the speaker is asking for a respite from love – he says he is too old to be feeling the pull of erotic thoughts anymore. In Dowson’s poem, the subject is the haunting nature of love; despite his best attempts, the speaker cannot forget a woman he once knew.

Question 3

At an Inn by Thomas Hardy

Accepted Answer

At an Inn written in 1893, and believed to be about a woman Hardy knew, takes place early on in their friendship not long after they had met. The pair stop at an inn to dine together, but the staff mistake them for lovers and quickly warm to them because “love quicks the world”. Despite the disappointment of the staff, and Hardy, they cannot seal their love and desire with a kiss in public even if they did love each other.

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Tag: Ernest Dowson

Pre-1900 Poems: A Level Poetry Revision