“Beechwoods At Knole”
In the poem “Beechwoods At Knole” the speaker fondly remembers the beech trees of her childhood. The speaker grew up close to a large, old beech forest that she adored, describing the majestic trees in loving detail. The most important feature she remembers however is the bright red color of the trees as well as the large stags that roamed the forest at night, which the speaker could hear.
“Days I Enjoy”
In the poem “Days I Enjoy” the speaker laments about how awkward and uncomfortable she feels whenever she is forced to socialize. Instead, the speaker prefers to be left entirely alone, stating that those solitary days are the only ones she truly enjoys. Even though she calls the people she socializes with “her friends” it is made clear that she doesn’t enjoy their company and feels like she has nothing to give them. In the end, she prefers not to share her life with anyone and does not want to share in anyone else’s either, though it is not entirely clear whether this is based on crippling shyness or simple disinterest.
“And So It Ends”
In the poem “And So It Ends” the speaker mourns the end of her affair with a man she was passionately in love with. The first two stanzas reveal that the man broke up with the speaker, sitting her down and announcing the end of their relationship. For the speaker this came as a surprise and she is shaken to the core by the sudden loss. The man on the other hand appears calm and emotionless, suggesting that they stay friends.
In the fourth stanza the man names god as his reason for ending the affair, which suggests that he is either married or belongs to the clergy. The latter reason is further supported by the speaker, who accuses the man of first trying to bring her closer to god and his church and then personally destroying this developing connection with his rejection.
In the last stanza, the speaker admits to wild and violent fantasies she has had since the end of their relationship. She finally reassures the man that he has nothing to fear from her now but ends the poem with the question of whether her murder of him would really have been so much worse than what he did to her emotionally.
