The Poetry of Charlotte Dacre - Volume II: 'Appear'd with majesty to sail, And wafted on ambrosial air—''

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: 9781787802933

Book preview

The Poetry of Charlotte Dacre

Volume II

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

THE KISS

THE LOVER’S VISION

THE MANIAC

THE MOTHER

THE MOTHER TO HER DYING INFANT

THE MOUNTAIN VIOLET

THE MURDERER

THE MUSING MANIAC

THE ORPHAN’S CURSE

THE POOR NEGRO SADI

THE POWER OF LOVE

THE REPLY

THE SKELETON PRIEST; Or, THE MARRIAGE OF DEATH

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF LOVE

THE TRIUMPH OF PLEASURE

THE UNFAITHFUL LOVER

THE VANITY OF HOPE

THE VISIONS OF FANCY

TO

TO HIM WHO SAYS HE LOVES

TO JOHN PENN, ESQ

TO LAURA

TO LINDORF

TO LOVE

TO OBLIVION

TO PRUDENCE

TO SYMPATHY

TO THE SHADE OF MARY ROBINSON

TU ES BEAU COMME LE DESERT

WAR

WE CAN LOVE BUT ONCE

WEYMOUTH

WILL-O-WISP

WIND

IL TRIOONFO DEL AMOR

IN ANSWER

INDIFFERENCE

L' ABSENCE

LASSO AME!

LE VRAI SEUL EST AMIABLE

LOGAN’S GRAVE

MADNESS

DEATH AND THE LADY

FROST

THE KISS

The greatest bliss

Is in a kiss—

A kiss of love refin'd,

When springs the soul

Without controul,

And blends the bliss with mind.

For if desire

Alone inspire,

The kiss not me can charm;

The eye must beam

With chasten'd gleam

That would my soul disarm.

What fond delight

Does love excite

When sentiment takes part!

The falt'ring sigh,

Voluptuous eye,

And palpitating heart.

Ye fleet too fast—

Sweet moment, last

A little longer mine!

Like Heaven's bow

Ye fade—ye go;

Too tremulously fine!

THE LOVER’S VISION

I lay reclin'd,

And weary of my fate,

With joy I would have chang'd my wretched state;

When on the wind,

A lady beautifully fair,

As fancy has pourtray'd us angels are,

Appear'd with majesty to sail,

And wafted on ambrosial air—

Delicious odours made my senses fail.

I knew my love;

Her face was snowy white,

Her garments streams of undulating light;

Her hair did rove

Loose o'er her slim, irradiant form;

Her look, methought, was freezing and forlorn.

No more did lustre in her eyes abound;

Rays did her head adorn,

Which sparkling coruscations threw around.

'Remember well

How oft thou didst inspire

Glances, tho' chasten'd, yet of ardent fire;

And now I tell,

Fearing thy love were boyish or untrue,

I durst not mine in all its fervor shew;

But now my unfetter'd