Student Question
Who is the poem addressed to, and why does the speaker mention "ye women"?
Quick answer:
The poem is addressed to Anne Bradstreet's husband, highlighting their profound love and compatibility. The mention of "ye women" serves to publicly profess her love, inviting other women to compare their experiences. This comparison is not intended as a challenge but stems from sincere admiration for the unique love she shares with her husband, emphasizing its existential significance and depth.
The poem is indeed addressed to Anne Bradstreet's husband, whom she loves
with an extraordinary passion. She speaks of their compatibility and how their
love is unique on a nearly existential significance. From a modern lens, such a
profession of love might seem lightly ironic, but Bradshaw's verse has no such
contrasting deeper meaning. The layers beneath the surface of this poem are
simply even deeper love.
More than an address to her husband, however, this poem also functions as a
public profession of love. Bradshaw wishes to display her love for the world;
this is why she asks "ye women" to compare. It would almost seem like a taunt
were it not coming from a place of such sincerity. Bradshaw is completely
enraptured by the love she shares with her husband, and she thinks her love
entirely unique.
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