This week's featured poem, Song by Lady Mary Chudleigh, delivers words of stern moral advice to a besotted young man with a brisk and even sunny touch. The poem opens with the insistent line, 'Why, Damon, why, why, why so pressing?', immediately setting a tone of playful impatience as it critiques the pursuit of superficial beauty.
An Introduction to Lady Mary Chudleigh
Born in Devon in 1656 and passing in 1710, Mary Chudleigh is rightly regarded as a proto-feminist figure in English literature. Her notable short poem, To the Ladies, begins with the lines 'Wife and servant are the same, / But only differ in the name', highlighting her incisive views on gender roles. Beyond poetry, her prose Essay on Knowledge explores themes such as the importance of women's education with fuller argument, demonstrating her broad intellectual interests.
Chudleigh's Broader Literary and Scientific Contributions
Chudleigh had much to say on a range of subjects, and it is rewarding to discover her hard-won scientific knowledge. Professor Kevin Killeen has written an excellent introduction to her 2,000-line poem The Song of the Three Children, Paraphras'd, which he aptly titles Mary Chudleigh's View of the Entire Universe. As a devout Anglican, self-taught in subjects that deeply interested her, Chudleigh blends scientific understanding with rich biblical narrative, culminating in a praise-song to the 'Jewish heroes' Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the Book of Daniel.
Analysis of 'Song' and Its Themes
In her more sociable and immediate forms of writing, Chudleigh argued cases with admirable clarity. Song was chosen this week partly for its form: enlivened by repetitions the genre traditionally allows, its rhythms sing freshly from the page. The poem critiques artificial femininity impartially, showing sympathy for the generic male it addresses, Damon, and demonstrates the rational but Christian basis of the writer's gender politics. It is not a lecture, though; it has a brisk and even sunny touch.
Critique of Superficial Beauty and Inner Charms
Chudleigh presents the owner of the 'Heart' coveted by Damon with uncompromising disapproval. However delightful her 'Face' and 'Shape', the woman is judged superficial and somewhat confected. What are missing, in Chudleigh's opinion, are 'inward Charms'. These are not charms in the usual sense but qualities of more lasting worth. The poem appeals not only to Damon's values but to his vanity, warning that if he continues to pursue this undeserving woman desperately, he will look ridiculous and be despised by witnesses and the heartless woman herself.
The Commended Qualities of Wit and Virtue
As to the nature of these commended 'Charms', we learn at least two in verse three: 'Wit' and 'Virtue'. It is interesting that 'Wit' is recommended alongside 'Virtue', as Chudleigh herself possessed this quality abundantly. The word 'wit' originally denoted knowledge and understanding, and by pairing it with 'Virtue', she combines its original meaning with the narrower one associated with spritely humour, urging Damon to fix his thoughts on what is truly inviting and will never bear slighting.
Stylistic Elements and Composition Questions
The poem is didactic in tone but clearly has Damon's happiness in mind as well as his moral instruction. The repetitions are playful, tonally varied, and sometimes startling. In the first line, the device is most insistent and even impatient, while later repetitions like 'no more' perhaps echo the cadence of a failed suitor's sigh. The fifth line of the middle verse cleverly mimics the love object's dallying and reluctance: 'Till she, till she thinks fit to prize him.'
Musical Connections and Further Exploration
It would be interesting to know more about Chudleigh's process of composition. Did she write the poem for an existent piece of music, or in anticipation of a new one? Did she compose music herself? While a recording of Song with music remains elusive, perhaps it hides in plain sight. If anyone spots it, they are encouraged to share a link. The text used here is from the Poetry Foundation site, where other examples of Chudleigh's work can be found for further exploration.
