The Farmer's Bride

English Commentary: The Farmer’s Bride

In the poem “The Farmer’s Bride”, the poet Charlotte Mew explores the damaged relationship between a farmer and his bride. Mew uses specific diction, imagery and rhyme scheme to reveal the feelings of the Farmer towards his bride. Mew depicts the Farmer as the narrator and the integration of a broken rhyme and the use of grammar highlight’s the Farmer’s perspective and emotions .The rustic diction and grammar used develops the Farmer’s character and creates a tone of sorrow and longing. The use of animal imagery and similes create descriptive stanzas that evoke multiple feelings for the Farmer and the Bride. Mew intentionally does this to create mixed emotions of sympathy.   By the end of the poem, the Farmer’s emotions and mental state have escalated to an infatuated and almost depressed state leaving the reader with a feeling of sympathy for the Farmer.

The poem’s first two stanzas are filled with selected diction and grammar to create the perfect introduction for such a sorrow filled piece. Initially, Mew depicts the Farmer as uncaring and regimented around work. “Too young maybe-but more’s to do At harvest-time than bide and woo”, even this simple sentence reveals much about the character; the Farmer clearly believes that the work to be done is more important than caring for the Bride. He is so enveloped in his work that he even integrates the times of the seasons as his way of telling time, “more’s to do At harvest time… One night, in the Fall”.   After the Bride runs away, the Farmer uses words that almost describe her as an animal, “We chased her…We caught her, fetched her…turned the key upon her fast.” The Farmer however, clearly did love her in some way for he states “When us was wed she turned afraid Of love and me and all things human;” He notices the Brides reclusive behavior for he must have made some attempt to take an advance in love, for he clearly mentions “she turned afraid Of love” The use of grammar...