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Felicia Dorothea Hemans [1793-1835] ENG
Ranked #261 in the top 380 poets
Votes 82%: 61 up, 13 down

Late romantic.

Woman's voice confiding a woman's trials. Female suicide.

Lyricism apparently consonant with Victorian chauvinism and sentimentality.

Felicia Browne was born on September 25, 1793, in Liverpool. She was the fifth of seven children. When her father`s business failed about 1800, the family moved first to Gwrych, an isolated Welsh seaside house; then, in 1809, to St. Asaph, Wales.  

Felicia was a clever child who began to read at an early age and did so voraciously from the well-stocked family library. She read novels and poetry, learned several languages, and studied music, primarily under the direction of her mother. According to her sister, Felicia "could repeat pages of poetry from her favourite authors, after having read them but once over." When she was eleven or twelve she spent two successive winters in London, where she was awed by the paintings and sculptures. Her first book of Poems was published in 1808. It was remarkable work to come from a fourteen-year-old, but it received some harsh reviews. A postumous commentator stated: "... our little heroine was exposed to the lash of a public critic - a useful animal enough, but one whom the superstitious infallibility of print exalts to a divinity." 

Two of Felicia`s brothers had entered the army, and one was serving under Sir John Moore in Spain. Her poem England and Spain; or Valour and Patriotism (1808) was written in an impassioned adolescent imitation of Campbell, probably inspired by her brother`s service. Also serving in Spain was Captain Alfred Hemans, whom she had briefly encountered when he visited in the neighborhood. Her adolescent infatuation did not fade with his absence. On Captain Hemans` return in 1811, the relationship continued to develop. 

The Domestic Affections and other Poems was published in 1812, just before her marriage to Captain Hemans. After a brief time in Daventry, Northamptonshire, where Captain Hemans was adjutant to the local militia, the Hemans returned to St. Asaph. There, all but the first of their five sons were born. Hemans continued to write prolifically. Her style from this era is coloured by her reading of Byron. He was not displeased by her adoption of his style, and wrote to his publisher that The Restoration of the Works of Art to Italy (1816) was "a good poem - very" and that he planned to take it with him in his travels. 

In 1818 Captain Hemans went to Rome. He left behind his wife and five small sons, all under 6 years of age. There seems to have been a private agreement to separate, because they never saw each other after that. No reasons for the separation were ever stated. Captain Hemans spent the rest of his life abroad, and Felicia Hemans never visited him. Letters were exchanged, particularly to consult about the children, but Felicia was left to support herself as best she could. She and the children continued to live with her mother in Wales. Her love of Wales was reflected most strongly in a collection of Welsh Melodies which included a tribute to "The Rock of Cader Idris", seat of poets. 

Hemans was deeply distressed by her mother`s death in January 1827. (Inspired "Hymn by the Sick-bed of a Mother"). From then until her own death she was an invalid. Her two eldest sons were sent to Rome to be with their father, and she moved to Liverpool. It was not a successful move: she thought the people of Liverpool were stupid and provincial; they thought she was uncommunicative and eccentric. She visited Scotland in 1828, staying with Scott for a while. (See "The Funeral Day of Sir Walter Scott"). She returned to Liverpool, but the following summer was in the Lake Country with Wordsworth (See "A Farewell to Abbotsford" and "To Wordsworth"). 

Hemans moved to Dublin in 1831, where she could be near one of her brothers. She died there on the 16th of May, 1835, at the age of 41. Her death was attributed to a weak heart, which may have been the common affliction of rheumatic fever. 

During her life, Hemans made several attempts at writing drama, none of which were successful. The only play to be performed, The Vespers of Palermo (1823), failed dismally in its Covent Garden debut, despite having the Kembles` managing and acting. A few months later it was produced in Edinburgh and well-received. Sir Walter Scott wrote a prologue for the Edinburgh performance. Her second effort, De Chatillon, or The Crusaders, was also unsuccessful. 

In contrast, her poetry was popular and sold well: on the basis of her work, Hemans was able to support herself and her children. Frederic Rowton gives a contemporary`s assessment of her work in The Female Poets of Great Britain (1853). A Prefatory Notice by W. M. Rossetti, from one of many collections of Hemans` work, is interesting for the view it gives of Mrs. Hemans` life, and the attitudes towards women and writing that it indicates. 

George Eliot commended "The Forest Sanctuary" as `exquisite`. Scott, however, criticised her poetry for being `too poetical` and for having `too many flowers` and `too little fruit`. While Hemans confidently used a variety of metrical effects and narrative structures, much of her popular appeal lay in her ability to write emotional verses expressing the sentiments of her time. Her memorials to George III and to Princess Charlotte treat George III`s madness, and emotional responses to the royal family, with considerable sensitivity. 

In many poems, Hemans responded to the concerns of women of her time by idealizing and romanticizing woman`s role and relationships. Her portrayal of cultural ideals offered comfort and support to those who found them meaningful. She wrote "To the New-Born" for the child of her eldest brother. Her poem "The Better Land" was copied by Florence Nightingale for a cousin. It touched on concerns which were particularly significant in a culture with high child and maternal mortality rates, where survivors sought comfort in religious belief. 

Hemans` strong support of familial ideals was one reason why contemporaries accepted her in the roles of loving daughter and parent, and treated her separation from her husband sympathetically, as an unfortunate circumstance which reflected poorly on the Captain rather than on her. While a number of Heman`s poems indicate the attractions and rewards of creative work, and the desirability of intellectual powers, the same poems are often framed to suggest that love, strong familial relationships, and faith are ultimately more important and lasting than fame (See "Properzia Rossi" and "Joan of Arc in Rheims"). This does not imply, however, that creativity and faith are necessarily opposed. Both her juvenile poem "Lines Written in the Memoirs of Elizabeth Smith" and "Thoughts During Sickness: Intellectual Powers", written late in her life, describe genius and imagination as divine gifts, which will be regained and fulfilled in heavenly life. 

Hemans spent her life with her family in Wales, rarely travelling. She read extensively, and sought inspiration and detail for her descriptions of Greece, Spain, and the new world, in the writings of other authors. Her work suffered from her restricted experience, as she relied too much on the impressions of others and often used stereotypic images. Still, she captured much of the ethos of her day in her poetry. Today her best-known poems are probably "The Homes of England" and "Casabianca" (better known as "The Boy Stood on the Burning Deck"). 

On the centenial anniversary of her death a local paper was moved to write

"One hundred, years ago On Monday Felicia Dorothea Browne, better known by her married name of Mrs. Hemans, first saw the light at Liverpool. She died in 1835, and many of her shorter poems, though little remembered in the land of their birth,

display qualities of the finest lyric genius. Nothing More exquisite has been published during the present century than Mrs. Hemans`s "Better Land," " The Stately  Homes of England “  " The Graves of a  Household,"  "The  Treasures of the Deep,"  and   " He  Never  Smiled Again."

Her  married life  was  unhappy, and during the seventeen years preceding her death, her husband, Captain Hemans, resided at Rome, while she remained in England, Wales, or Ireland. In the last named she died. It is hardly to the credit of her compatriots that her memory should have almost perished here. In the New England States her " Lauding of the Pilgrim `Fathers" Is repeatedly sung in church and chapel as a hymn, and we doubt not that it will there continue to live for many a decade to come."

Romanticism

YearsCountryPoetInteraction
1770-1850
ENG
William Wordsworth
→ praised Felicia Dorothea Hemans
1806-1861
ENG
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
→ disliked Felicia Dorothea Hemans
1911-1979
USA
Elizabeth Bishop
→ referenced Felicia Dorothea Hemans
1802-1838
ENG
Letitia Elizabeth Landon
← influenced by Felicia Dorothea Hemans
1807-1882
USA
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
← influenced by Felicia Dorothea Hemans
1808-1877
ENG
Caroline Elizabeth Sarah Norton
← influenced by Felicia Dorothea Hemans
1809-1892
ENG
Alfred Lord Tennyson
← influenced by Felicia Dorothea Hemans


WorkLangRating
Casabianca
eng
20
Flight Of The Spirit
eng
2
The Pilgrim Fathers
eng
2
Address To Thought
eng
1
Arabella Stuart
eng
1
Sabbath Sonnet
eng
1
The Kaiser`s Feast
eng
1
"The Memory Of Joys That Are Past." Ossian.
eng
0
A Domestic Scene
eng
0
A Monarch`s Death-Bed
eng
0
A Parting Song
eng
0
A Spirit`s Return
eng
0
A Voyager`s Dream Of Land
eng
0
Adddress To Fancy
eng
0
Address To Music
eng
0
Alaric In Italy
eng
0
An Hour Of Romance
eng
0
Ancient Greek Song Of Exile
eng
0
Brandenburgh
eng
0
Breathings Of Spring
eng
0
Bring Flowers
eng
0
Carolan`s Prophecy
eng
0
Christmas Carol
eng
0
Coeur De Lion At The Bier Of His Father
eng
0
Costanza
eng
0
Design And Performance
eng
0
Dirge
eng
0
Edith: A Tale Of The Woods
eng
0
England And Spain
eng
0
Fairy Favours
eng
0
Gertrude, Or Fidelity Till Death
eng
0
Greek Funeral Chant Or Myriologue
eng
0
Harvest Hymn
eng
0
He Never Smiled Again
eng
0
Heliodorus In The Temple
eng
0
Hymn
eng
0
Imelda
eng
0
Indian Woman`s Death-Song
eng
0
Introductory
eng
0
Invocation
eng
0
Italian Girl`s Hymn To The Virgin
eng
0
Ivan The Czar
eng
0
Joan Of Arc, In Rheims
eng
0
Juana
eng
0
Korner And His Sister
eng
0
Lines To The Memory Of A Very Amiable Young Lady, Who Died At The Age Of Eighteen
eng
0
Lines, Written In The Memory Of Elizabeth Smith
eng
0
Madeline. A Domestic Tale
eng
0
Moon-Light
eng
0
Moorish Bridal Song
eng
0
Mountaineer-Song
eng
0
Mozart`s Requiem
eng
0
Night-Scene in Genoa
eng
0
O Thou Breeze of Spring!
eng
0
Ode To Cheerfulness
eng
0
On My Mother`s Birthday
eng
0
Our Lady`s Well
eng
0
Paraphrase Of Psalm: CXLVIII
eng
0
Pauline
eng
0
Properzia Rossi
eng
0
Roman Girl`s Song
eng
0
Sea Piece
eng
0
Sea-Piece
eng
0
Song 1
eng
0
Song 2
eng
0
Song. The Smile
eng
0
Sonnet To Italy
eng
0
Sonnet, For My Mother’s Birthday
eng
0
Stanzas To the Memory Of George III
eng
0
Swiss Song, On The Anniversary Of An Ancient Battle
eng
0
Tasso And His Sister
eng
0
The Abencerrage : Canto I.
eng
0
The Abencerrage : Canto II.
eng
0
The Abencerrage : Canto III.
eng
0
The Adopted Child
eng
0
The Aged Patriarch
eng
0
The American Forest Girl
eng
0
The Angel Of The Sun
eng
0
The Bards, To The Soldiers Of Caractacus
eng
0
The Bended Bow
eng
0
The Birds
eng
0
The Birds Of Passage
eng
0
The Bird`s Release
eng
0
The Bride Of The Greek Isle
eng
0
The Call Of Liberty. May 1809
eng
0
The Captive Knight
eng
0
The Cavern Of The Three Tells
eng
0
The Chamois Hunter`s Love
eng
0
The Child`s Last Sleep
eng
0
The Conqueror`s Sleep
eng
0
The Coronation Of Inez De Castro
eng
0
The Crusader`s Return
eng
0
The Death Of Conradin
eng
0
The Death-Day Of Korner
eng
0
The Departed
eng
0
The Distant Ship
eng
0
The Domestic Affections
eng
0
The Effigies
eng
0
The Emigrant
eng
0
The Farewell To The Dead
eng
0
The Forest Sanctuary - Part I.
eng
0
The Forest Sanctuary - Part II.
eng
0
The Grave Of A Poetess
eng
0
The Graves Of A Household
eng
0
The Home Of The Spirit
eng
0
The Homes Of England
eng
0
The Hour Of Prayer
eng
0
The Illuminated City
eng
0
The Image In Lava
eng
0
The Indian City
eng
0
The Indian Lover. Morning Song.
eng
0
The Isle Of Founts
eng
0
The Lady Of Provence
eng
0
The Lady Of The Castle
eng
0
The Laplander To His Rein-Deer
eng
0
The Last Banquet Of Antony And Cleopatra
eng
0
The Last Wish
eng
0
The Lilies Of The Field
eng
0
The Memorial Pillar
eng
0
The Messenger-Bi
eng
0
The Mourner For The Barmecides
eng
0
The Nightingale
eng
0
The Northern Spring
eng
0
The Ocean
eng
0
The Palm-Tree
eng
0
The Parting Song
eng
0
The Peasant Girl Of The Rhone
eng
0
The Penitent`s Return
eng
0
The Queen Of Prussia`s Tomb
eng
0
The Rainbow
eng
0
The Restoration Of The Works Of Art In Italy
eng
0
The Revellers
eng
0
The Rivers
eng
0
The Rock Of Cader Idris
eng
0
The Ruin And Its Flowers
eng
0
The Shade Of Theseus - Ancient Greek Tradition
eng
0
The Sicilian Captive
eng
0
The Silver Locks
eng
0
The Sky-Lark
eng
0
The Spanish Chapel
eng
0
The Spells Of Home
eng
0
The Spirit`s Mysteries
eng
0
The Stars
eng
0
The Statue Of The Dying Gladiator
eng
0
The Storm
eng
0
The Stranger In Louisiana
eng
0
The Suliote Mother
eng
0
The Sun
eng
0
The Sunbeam
eng
0
The Switzer`s Wife
eng
0
The Sword Of The Tomb : A Northern Legend
eng
0
The Thunderstorm
eng
0
The Treasures Of The Deep
eng
0
The Troubadour And Richard Coeur De Lion
eng
0
The Vassal`s Lament For The Fallen Tree
eng
0
The Voice Of Spring
eng
0
The Widow Of Crescentius : Part I.
eng
0
The Widow Of Crescentius : Part II.
eng
0
The Wife Of Asdrubal
eng
0
The Wild Huntsman
eng
0
The Wounded Eagle
eng
0
The Wrath Of Loyalty
eng
0
Thekla`s Song; Or, The Voice Of A Spirit
eng
0
To A Butterfly Resting Upon A Skull
eng
0
To A Departed Spirit
eng
0
To A Younger Child
eng
0
To My Eldest Brother, With The British Army In Portugal
eng
0
To My Mother
eng
0
To My Younger Brother, On His Return From Spain, After The Fatal Retreat Under Sir John Moore, And T
eng
0
To One Of The Author`s Children
eng
0
To Resignation
eng
0
To The Eye
eng
0
To The Head-Ach
eng
0
To The Memory Of Heber
eng
0
To The New-Born
eng
0
To Wordsworth
eng
0
Ulla, Or The Adjuration
eng
0
Valkyriur Song
eng
0
War And Peace—A Poem
eng
0
War-Song Of The Spanish Patriots
eng
0
Woman On The Field Of Battle
eng
0

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