Here Follows Some Verses

Here Follows Some Verses...

In all of Anne Bradstreet’s poetry that we have read, she has taken an experience

of hers and then dissected and related it to Christian and, more generally, Puritan merits.

“Here Follows Some Verses,” is no exception. After the burning of her house 1666,

Bradstreet wrote this poem. It expresses her longing for the house and the possessions

that were consumed in the fire. The poem also shows the author’s solid faith in God.

There is a minor conflict between her religious merits and her connection with her lost

items (namely her house). This conflict spurs questions that irk analysis of theology.

However, they are resolved before the end of the poem.

The beginning of the poem is a wake up call. Bradstreet introduces the fire early

in the poem, jolting our attention. She does this so that the sense of urgency she felt is

convey to the reader. The first thought that comes to Bradstreet’s mind is to ask God for

help, “…And not leave [her] succorless.” This was her first and, for her, most natural

reaction to distress. Once she had escaped the house, she said that it was God’s will for

the house to burn. From this we see that the author is a pious woman with solid faith.

Soon after, we see that Bradstreet has a less religious side to her personality.

After escaping from the house and looking at the ashes where her home once stood, she

begins to long for the material possessions consumed in the fire.

The flow of the poem changes from shocking to sad when the Bradstreet surveys

the site and wherever she looks has memories of the things that once used to be there.

There is a lot of repetition at this point. The words no and nor are repeated several times

between lines 28 and 34, stressing her pining for her home and the memories that she

will never have.

The superficial side of Bradstreet shows itself for only a short time, however. She

accepts the fire as an act of God.