It is so ill organized that he has to “requisition” the sexton as his best man. The solitary guest was the bride’s mother,
“Your mother, brave even in this, U.S foreign affairs gamble, acted all bridesmaids and all guests, even magnanimity- represented, my family.”
It seems they didn’t have the time or money to buy their wedding clothes in “Harrods!” The only new item Hughes had was an umbrella. His outfit consisted of
“My tie- sole- drab, veteran RAF black-
Was the used-up symbol of a tie?
My cord jacket- thrice dyed black, exhausted,
Just hanging on to it.”
And the bride was wearing a “…pink wool knitted dress.”
The story is told in a very low-key manner and this brings me on to a discussion of the language used.
One would have expected the poet to use an elaborate, descriptive style more fitting to the occasion. He chooses not to. The words Hughes uses are purposely starkly drab. Such as “smudged,” “sole- drab,” “utility,” “odd, spare,” “squeezed,” and “Packing children into a bus.” He also uses words, which remind us of the recent war,
“Post war,” “utility,” “conscript,” “veteran,” “requisitioned.” Because of the recent war effort clothes, décor and furnishings were extremely grey and uniform.
There are few colourful aspects of war. Despite this, humour is evident for example Hughes wanted to be married in Westminster Abbey, where the Royals are married but has to settle for the humbler “St George of the Chimney Sweeps,” and a borrowed best man.
How can this be a love poem? The whole flavour and texture of the poem is so mundane, workaday and prosaic, just like any other day. Does this reflect Hughes’ innermost thoughts about his wedding? That is certainly the impression he gives me. So how is it a love poem?
The answer lies in the last two stanzas where Hughes addresses his bride in language that is quite different to that used in the previous stanzas. In the second last stanza the language contains heavenly imagery, “Transfigured,” “brimming with God,” “the heavens open,” “Riches ready to drop upon us,” “levitated.” What a contrast to what has gone before! Not drab but uplifting and celestial. But is Hughes describing a person whom he loves or some image he sees in her? Is it what she can do for him, not what he can do for her?
The last stanza seems to reflect the poet’s notion that his bride is ‘crazy’ about him and simply cannot take her eyes off him. Nowhere in the poem does Hughes describe a similar intoxication for her. This poem is the embodiment of what Ted Hughes sees and portrays himself as a poet.
“Imagine what you are writing about.
See it and live it…
Look at it, touch it, smell it
Listen to it, turn yourself into it.”
A contrasting piece is Sonnet XLIII by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. This poem is taken from, “Sonnets from the Portuguese,” and is of course, number forty-three.
As it is a sonnet it has the usual fourteen lines and there is a regular rhythm for which the octet is ‘ABBA’ while the sestet,
‘ABAB’ employs a variation. Apart from that the other features are pretty uniform and standard. All of Barrett Browning’s sonnets are written in similar form.
The poem has a definite rhythm e.g. in the first line certain words are stressed such as those underlined below;
“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.”
This pattern continues throughout the poem e.g. line five.
“I love thee to the level of everyday’s.”
The rhythm stresses the important words such as, “love,” “depth,” “breadth,” “height.” This rhythm gives the effect of being from the heart; deep, emotional and heartfelt. The poem is totally concentrated on one theme only, love. This is quite a contrast to Ted Hughes poem, which contains black humour, a narrative, and a much lighter attitude to the relationship.
I feel this poem has a religious intensity which is reflected in the uses of key words and phrases such as, “…depth and breadth and height,” “My soul can reach…” and also in the lines,
“I love thee with a love I seemed to loose,
With my lost Saints…”
A notable aspect of the poem is the fact that the title is numbered, as are the Psalms in the Book of Psalms.
Furthermore, the language of this sonnet is reminiscent of the
Language used in the Psalms. This idea supports my opinion that
The poem expresses a certain religious intensity. The poet uses
repetition for effect and emphasis, she uses the words,
“…I love thee…” seven times and in the middle of the poem, she
starts each of these lines with, “…I love thee…” The last three
lines have a particularly spiritual effect, looking forward to love
eternal after death. Browning herself suffered ill
health and that she was conscious that death was never far away
so this possible morbidity could arise from that feeling. It is
undoubtedly very intense.
Both poems differ in many obvious ways. Ted Hughes poem is
much longer, he has quite a different style and approach, his
piece tells a story with a certain amount of wry humour and diversity.
Only in the last part of it does Hughes concentrate on the theme
Of love whereas Barrett Browning is totally concentrated on the
love theme. Of course both are structurally quite different and
different also in both tone and language. Hughes uses inclined,
common and everyday language while Barrett Browning’s is
austere and devotional like the language used in a prayer.
Perhaps, in the final analysis, Ted Hughes’ approach to
love is not quite as serious and faithful as Elizabeth Barrett
Browning’s. She expresses her love in depth, breadth and
Height while Hughes’ expression of love somewhat appears to be
more shallow and perhaps less sincere. Does Hughes love his
bride merely because she loves him? While Barrett Browning
appears to love her partner for his own sake.
I prefer Ted Hughes’ poem, basically because I feel it is more
true to life, the storyline is also interesting. This is a stark
contrast to the quasi-religious intensity of Elizabeth Barrett
Browning’s sonnet, which I find too overpowering and totally redolent of the early Victorian ethos.
