Poems of Adoration: “Love is a possible strength in an actual weakness”

By Michael Field

Michael Field was a pseudonym used by Katharine Harris Bradley and her niece and ward Edith Emma Cooper. Together, as Field, they produced in the order of 40 works together with a long journal ‘Works and Days’. Their original intention was to keep their pseudonym a secret, especially as polite Victorian society was not the most liberal of arenas but, after confiding in their friend Robert Browning, it became public knowledge.

Katharine Bradley was born on 27th October 1846 in Birmingham, England. Her education took place at the Collège de France and Newnham College, Cambridge.

Bradley's elder married sister, Emma Cooper, went to live in Kenilworth, where her daughter, Edith Emma Cooper, was born on 12th January 1862. After the birth of her second daughter Emma was invalided for life and Katharine stepped in to become the legal guardian of her niece.

From the late 1870s, when Edith was at University College, Bristol, they decided to live together and over the next 4 decades were both lovers, and co-authors. The situation was helped by Katherine’s father leaving them an inheritance. Their first joint publication as Michael Field was in 1884; ‘Callirhöe and Fair Rosamund’.

Katherine first published as Arran Leigh, a nod to Elizabeth Barrett. For their first joint publication, ‘Bellerophôn’, Edith published as Isla Leigh.

They developed a large circle of literary friends and cultivated and knew many of the aesthetic movement of the 1890s, including Walter Pater, Vernon Lee, J. A. Symonds and Bernard Berenson.

In 1899 the death of Edith's father enabled them to buy their own house but Edith was conflicted feeling also her father’s death was retribution for their lifestyle. Accounts suggest that this also pushed Edith into establishing the couple as active Catholics.

Their name of Michael Field was their way of declaring and celebrating their unique bond, in addition they wrote a number of passionate love poems to each other. They were also devoted to their pets and, in particular, a dog; Whym Chow, who had a whole book of poems written, published and dedicated to himself. When Whym Chow died in 1906, the emotional layers of the relationship was disturbed. The following year they fully converted to the Roman Catholic faith. Their faith became a larger part of both their work and life.

Edith died of cancer on December 13th 1913, as did Katherine less than a year later on September 26th 1914. They were buried together at St Mary Magdalen Roman Catholic Church Mortlake.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Portable Poetry
• Release date: Apr 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781839673542

Book preview

Poems of Adoration by Michael Field

The Pseudonym for Katherine Bradley & Emma Cooper

Michael Field was a pseudonym used by Katharine Harris Bradley and her niece and ward Edith Emma Cooper. Together, as Field, they produced in the order of 40 works together with a long journal ‘Works and Days’. Their original intention was to keep their pseudonym a secret, especially as polite Victorian society was not the most liberal of arenas but, after confiding in their friend Robert Browning, it became public knowledge.

Katharine Bradley was born on 27th October 1846 in Birmingham, England. Her education took place at the Collège de France and Newnham College, Cambridge.

Bradley's elder married sister, Emma Cooper, went to live in Kenilworth, where her daughter, Edith Emma Cooper, was born on 12th January 1862. After the birth of her second daughter Emma was invalided for life and Katharine stepped in to become the legal guardian of her niece.

From the late 1870s, when Edith was at University College, Bristol, they decided to live together and over the next 4 decades were both lovers, and co-authors. The situation was helped by Katherine’s father leaving them an inheritance. Their first joint publication as Michael Field was in 1884; ‘Callirhöe and Fair Rosamund’. 

Katherine first published as Arran Leigh, a nod to Elizabeth Barrett. For their first joint publication, ‘Bellerophôn’, Edith published as Isla Leigh.

They developed a large circle of literary friends and cultivated and knew many of the aesthetic movement of the 1890s, including Walter Pater, Vernon Lee, J. A. Symonds and Bernard Berenson.

In 1899 the death of Edith's father enabled them to buy their own house but Edith was conflicted feeling also her father’s death was retribution for their lifestyle. Accounts suggest that this also pushed Edith into establishing the couple as active Catholics.

Their name of Michael Field was their way of declaring and celebrating their unique bond, in addition they wrote a number of passionate love poems to each other.  They were also devoted to their pets and, in particular, a dog; Whym Chow, who had a whole book of poems written, published and dedicated to himself. When Whym Chow died in 1906, the emotional layers of the relationship was disturbed. The following year they fully converted to the Roman Catholic faith.  Their faith became a larger part of both their work and life. 

Edith died of cancer on December 13th 1913, as did Katherine less than a year later on September 26th 1914. They were buried together at St Mary Magdalen Roman Catholic Church Mortlake.

Index of Contents

DESOLATION                                                            

ENTBEHREN SOLLST DU                                                   

FREGIT                                                                

SICUT PARVULI                                                         

AURUM, THUS, ET MYRRHA—ALLELUIA!                                     

HOLY COMMUNION                                                        

OF SILENCE                                                            

REAL PRESENCE                                                        

FROM THE HIGHWAY                                                     

THAT HE SHOULD TASTE DEATH FOR EVERY MAN                          

NIMIS HONORATI SUNT                                                  

BLESSED ARE THE BEGGARS                                              

THE BLESSED SACRAMENT                                                

THE BLESSED SACRAMENT                                                

COLUMBA MEA                                                          

VIRGO POTENS                                                         

ANOTHER LEADETH THEE                                                 

THE GARDEN OF LAZARUS                                                

HOLY CROSS                                                           

PURGATORY                                                            

FORTITUDO EGENIS                                                     

PAX VOBISCUM                                                         

PURISSIMÆ VIRGINI SACELLUM                                           

IN THE BEGINNING                                                     

AN ANTIPHONY OF ADVENT                                               

ANNUNCIATIONS                                                        

STONES OF THE BROOK                                                  

RELICS                                                               

ON CAUCASUS                                                          

IN THE SEA                                                           

COMMUNICANTES ET MEMORIAM VENERANTES ... JOANNIS ET PAULI                                                

IN MONTE FANNO                                                       

MACRINUS AGAINST TREES                                               

PASCHAL’S MASS                                                       

A SNOW-CAVE                                                          

PROPHET                                                              

LOOKING UPON JESUS AS HE WALKED                                      

A DANCE OF DEATH                                                     

OBEDIENCE                                                            

GARDENS ENCLOSED                                                     

GARDEN-SEED                                                          

UNIVERSA COHORS                                                      

IN EXTREMIS                                                          

A LIGNO                                                              

ONE REED                                                             

CRYING OUT                                                           

AD MORTEM                                                            

THE FLOWER FADETH                                                    

FEAR NOT                                                             

RECOGNITION                                                          

VENIT JESUS                                                          

ASCENSION                                                            

CONFLUENCE                                                           

IMPLE SUPERNA GRATIA                                                 

WORDS OF THE BRIDEGROOM                                              

A MAGIC MIRROR                                                       

DESCENT FROM THE CROSS                                               

UNSURPASSED                                                          

WASTING                                                             

THE HOUR OF NEED                                                    

EXTREME UNCTION                                                     

AFTER ANOINTING                                                     

VIATICUM                                                            

A GIFT OF SWEETNESS                                                 

IN CHRISTO                                                          

SIGHTS FOR GOD                                                      

TRANSIT                                                             

MICHAEL FIELD – A CONCISE BIBLIOGRAPHY

DESOLATION

Who comes?...

O Beautiful!

Low thunder thrums,

As if a chorus struck its shawms and drums.

The sun runs forth

To stare at Him, who journeys north

From Edom, from the lonely sands, arrayed

In vesture sanguine as at Bosra made.

O beautiful and whole,

In that red stole!

Behold,

O clustered grapes,

His garment rolled,

And wrung about His waist in fold on fold!

See, there is blood

Now on His garment, vest and hood;

For He hath leapt upon a loaded vat,

And round His motion splashes the wine-fat,

Though there is none to play

The Vintage-lay.

The Word

Of God, His name ...

But nothing heard

Save beat of His lone feet forever stirred

To tread the press—

None with Him in His loneliness;

No treader with Him in the spume, no man.

His flesh shows dusk with wine: since He began

He hath not stayed, that forth may pour

The Vineyard’s