The Poetry of Charlotte Dacre - Volume I: 'To mingle her tears, as his sadly flow'd, And sooth the despair of his mind''

By Charlotte Dacre

Charlotte King was born in either 1771 or 1772 to John King (himself born as Jacob Rey), a moneylender and radical writer. Her father divorced her mother, Sara, under Jewish law in 1784 and set up home with the dowager countess of Lanesborough.

Little is known of Charlotte’s early decades.

Charlotte met and began to live with Nicholas Byrne, a widower, in the early 1800’s. Byrne was an editor and eventual partner of London's The Morning Post. The poetry editor there was the esteemed poet and actress Mary Robinson, a great influence on the young Charlotte who contributed poems under her pseudonym of Rosa Matilda.

Charlotte first published her poetry volume ‘Hours of Solitude’ in 1805 as well as her first novel ‘Confessions of the Nun of St. Omer’. In 1806 she caused controversy with her the publication of her novel Zofloya; or, The Moor. With its racial, religious and difficult subject matter the controversy is unsurprising.

Between 1806-1809 she gave birth to three children fathered by Byrne. They would eventually marry on July 1st 1815.

In her novels Charlotte abandoned the female as a soft and gentle creature and instead created characters who were fully-formed, aggressive and often physically violent able to demonstrate powerful sexual desires and ambition.

As well as her four major novels she was also a distinguished poet later writing a well-regarded tribute to George IV in 1822.

In the literary world, Charlotte Dacre, as she became known, has been an obscure and forgotten figure but her works, with their feminist streak, are becoming ever more popular.

Charlotte Dacre died on 7th November 1825.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Portable Poetry
• Release date: Dec 2, 2018
• ISBN: 9781787802926

Book preview

The Poetry of Charlotte Dacre

Volume I

Charlotte King was born in either 1771 or 1772 to John King (himself born as Jacob Rey), a moneylender and radical writer.  Her father divorced her mother, Sara, under Jewish law in 1784 and set up home with the dowager countess of Lanesborough.

Little is known of Charlotte’s early decades.

Charlotte met and began to live with Nicholas Byrne, a widower, in the early 1800’s.  Byrne was an editor and eventual partner of London's The Morning Post. The poetry editor there was the esteemed poet and actress Mary Robinson, a great influence on the young Charlotte who contributed poems under her pseudonym of Rosa Matilda.

Charlotte first published her poetry volume ‘Hours of Solitude’ in 1805 as well as her first novel ‘Confessions of the Nun of St. Omer’.  In 1806 she caused controversy with her the publication of her novel Zofloya; or, The Moor.  With its racial, religious and difficult subject matter the controversy is unsurprising.

Between 1806-1809 she gave birth to three children fathered by Byrne. They would eventually marry on July 1st 1815. 

In her novels Charlotte abandoned the female as a soft and gentle creature and instead created characters who were fully-formed, aggressive and often physically violent able to demonstrate powerful sexual desires and ambition.

As well as her four major novels she was also a distinguished poet later writing a well-regarded tribute to George IV in 1822.

In the literary world, Charlotte Dacre, as she became known, has been an obscure and forgotten figure but her works, with their feminist streak, are becoming ever more popular.

Charlotte Dacre died on 7th November 1825.

Index of Contents

EDMUND AND ANNA

ALAS! FORGIVE ME

THE LASS OF FAIR WONE

THE WARRIOR

HOW CANST THOU DOUBT?

TO HER I LOVE

THE MISTRESS - VERSIFIED

SONG OF MELANCHOLY

A L'OREILLER DE MA MAITRESSE

GRIMALKIN’S GHOST; Or, THE WATER SPIRITS

JULIA’S MURDER; Or, THE SONG OF WOE

LOVE AND MADNESS

PEACE

MORNING

MEDITATION

MILDEW

MOORISH COMBAT

PASSION UNINSPIRED BY SENTIMENT

QUEEN MAB AND HER FATS

RUIN'D INNOCENCE

SIMILE

SONG

SONNET

THAW

THE ANSWER

THE APPARITION

THE CONFESSION

THE DOUBT

THE DYING LOVER

THE ELFIN KING; Or, THE SCOFFER PUNISHED

THE EMIGRANT

THE EVIL BEING

THE EXILE

THE FEMALE PHILOSOPHER

THE FOLLY OF LIFE

THE GIANT’S BURIAL GROUND

THE HUNTER OF THE ALPS

EXPERIENCE

FOG

FRACAS BETWEEN THE DEITIES

EDMUND AND ANNA

A LEGENDARY TALE

Now near drew the time when fair Ann was allow'd

To visit her lover confin'd;

To mingle her tears, as his sadly flow'd,

And sooth the despair of his mind.

As she skimm'd o'er the wood, lo! the night-owl was heard

To give three hollow shrieks from a tree;

She stopt, listening, and thought the ill-omening bird

Said, Thy lover has sorrow for thee.

Still onward she flew, while the envious wind,

Half jealous, retarded her pace;

Dishevell'd her garments to stay her behind,

Or furiously broke in her face.

Darkness reign'd on the earth, and from every spot

Horror seem'd unmolested to stare;

She trembled to pass her once favourite grot,

Lest Danger and Death should be there.

At length, like a lily new-wash'd in the dew,

She reach'd the drear prison's high gate,

And feebly she knock'd, while her fears stronger grew,

For her Edmund's unfortunate fate.

The long-dying echo she thought spoke his doom,

As the jailor pass'd slow through the hall,

The lamp beam'd from afar, pierc'd through the thick gloom,

And show'd the chill damps on the wall.

He open'd the gates, and along led the maid;

Dark sulkiness reign'd on his brow,

From his savage black eyes murd'rous guilt was betray'd,

And gall from each pore seem'd to flow.

The contrast how strong! he in sable array'd,

Swift leading a virgin in white;

His form seen and lost 'mid the dubious shade,

Like a fiend and an angel of light.

Anna scann'd o'er his savage appearance with dread,