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Another [Letter to Her Husband, Absent Upon Public Employment] - Anne Bradstreet
As loving hinge that (hairless) wants her deer,

Scuds through the woods and fern with harkening ear,

Perplext, in every bush and nook doth pry,

Her dearest deer, might answer ear or eye;

So doth my anxious soul, which now doth miss

A deaerer deer (far dearer heart) than this,

Still wait with doubts, and hopes, and falling eye,

His voice to hear or person to descry.

Or as the pensive dove doth all alone

(On withered bough) most uncouthly bemoan

The absence of her love and loving mate,

Whose loss hath made her so unfortunate,

Ev'n thus do I, with many a dee sad groan,

Bewail my turtle true, who now is gone,

His presence and his sage return still woos,

With thousand doleful sighs and mournful coos.

Or as the loving mullet, that true fish,

Her fellow lost, nor joy nor life do wish,

But launches on that shore, there for to die,

Where she her captive husband doth espy.

Mine being gone, I lead a joyless life,

I have a loving peer, yet seem no wife;

But worst of all, to him all can't steer my course,

I here, he there, alas, both kept by force.

Return my dear, my joy, my only love,

Unto thy hind, thy mullet, and thy dove,

Who neither joys in pasture, house, nor streams,

The substance gone, O me, these are but dreams.

Together at one tree, oh let us browse,

And like two turtles roost within one house,

And like the mullets in one river glide,

Let's till remain but one, till death divide.

They loving love and dearest dear,

At home, abroad, an everywhere.

Summary Anne Bradstreet describes her marriage to the reader in her poem Another Letter to Her Husband, Absent Upon Public Employment. She begins with, “As loving hind that (hartless) wants her deer” (Bradstreet 207). She describes how she feels when she is with out her husband. She says it is similar to being alone in the woods without her companion. A few lines further down in line six she describes how she is anxious because she misses her companion. Her companion in this instance is her husband. According to Annebradstreet.com, her husband’s occupation was that of a governor. With such a large role and such a public role it is no surprise that she was alone frequently and missing her husband. Being in the public light would create a facade on their marriage. One in which their lives behind the public light is very different than that is seen my the people. Throughout her poem she constantly refers to theme of nature in her poem as seen when she describes at tree when she says, "Together at one tree, oh let us browse" (Bradstreet 207). Beyond nature she also mentions many types of animals in her poems when she says, "As loving hind that (harmless) wants her deer" (Bradstreet 207). She compares with a homophone with the words deer and dear. This represents the freedom that isn’t normally thought of when one thinks of marriage. She mentions a deer and a dove in particular that sits and thinks comparing herself to that of the bird in line 9, "Or as the pensive dove doth all alone" (Bradstreet).

Tone The tone of the poem comes off very calm and tranquil despite her anxiousness. She waits patiently for her husband to return home as she describes, "Or as the pensive dove doth all alone" (Bradstreet 207). She begins to describe how this was a part of her vows and that though lonely and impatient she will continue to wait when she states, "Still wait with doubts, and hope and failing eye" (Bradstreet 207). Despite her slight worry, she comes off as optimistic at the end of the poem, "Let's still reamin but one, till death divide. Thy loving love and dearest deer. At home, abroad, and everywhere" (Bradstreet 207). She again mentions the dove. This describes how the dove, meaning her husband, will return to her once again. She refers to the substances being gone, these substances would be the people and their influence on their marriage as seen here, "The substances gone, O me, these are but dreams" (Bradstreet 207).

Role of Women Women back in the day were expected to stay at home, not work, cook, clean, and take care of the children. This poem exemplifies how Anne Bradstreet did just that is first see when she explains, "So doth my anxious soul, which now doth miss" (Bradstreet 207). She is pictured as sitting waiting for her husband to come home from work when she says, "Mine being gone, I lead a joyless life" (Bradstreet 207). He was the one providing for the family and she is seen as keeping the family together and being a good wife. This mold of women describe that of the middle class society which, since her husband was governor, would describe perfectly her lifestyle. Women were, for the most part not educated or not as educated as men, because there really wasn't a need for them to be since they were expected to stay home. Instead they were expected to keep the household in order.

Conclusion Anne Bradstreet describes to her reader her marriage with her husband. She describes how she feels when he is gone and how she feels about him. Even though she doubts every so often, she confirms her marriage at the end of the poem when she says, "Together at on one tree, oh let us browse (Bradstreet 207). Her poem during her time may have helped women around her who maybe thought they were the only ones who felt neglected or lonely while their husbands worked or were in the spotlight. Bradstreet describes her love with her husband despite sometimes being put on the back burner when she says, "I have a loving peer, yet seem no wife" (Bradstreet 207). Her imagery and symbolism help the reader to imagine her life and what she is feeling.