Author: Sargant, Jane Alice (dates uncertain; fl. 1817-21)
Title: Sargant, Jane Alice. Sonnets and Other Poems
Date: 1817
Descriptive and Critical Essay
In her dedication, Jane Alice Sargant extends a seemingly ironic thank you to a well-known man, Earl Fitzwilliam, who she refers to as ‘My Lord’ (vii). It can be assumed that she is referring to William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 4th Earl Fitzwilliam (30 May 1748 – 8 February 1833) who was involved in politics and reigned as one of the wealthiest men in Britain. The gracious letter comes across as legitimate appreciation except for the opening line where she says, “by the condescending benevolence of your Lordship.” This is a difficult dedication to interpret given that Sargant does ask for assistance in her endeavor to become more recognized by the public, but she is also no stranger to using her own voice to make a point, as is apparent in her poetry.
The writing style which the author chose for this collection reflects upon her in numerous ways. It is interesting to see that her poems are displayed visually in more than one form and format. That is, Sargant formats her texts depending upon how she wants her words to be viewed. Some poems, as one can see right away, are short and concise, fitting one single page. Others, as can be seen further along in the collection, are made up of stanzas organized by roman numerals.
One can presume, based on the author’s use of the English language, that she was well educated. She uses words that are not common in a typical conversation, including words like “mien”(13), “direful”(41), and “bereav’d”(69). Sargant’s work is repetitive in that much of her unique vocabulary appears in more than one of her poems. She talks to the reader in dark tones and often leaves her audience in a state of relatively desolate reflection.
Like many British women poets of her time, Sargant wrote of sorrow and sadness, a subject that is explored in detail through her work. Certain words and phrases are especially consistent in her poetry, perhaps the most frequent word being ‘woe,’ a word that in fact seems to encompass much of her writing. The entire collection of her poems are overcast with a shroud of despair. Even in the poems that come across as jovial at first, one will witness a turn of outlook on the author’s part.
A common theme throughout Sargant’s poetry is her commentary on death. It is as if she sees more serenity to be found in death then she has beheld in life. Death appears in her poems in terms of a number of different effects. Whether it be through where she desires to be laid to rest or what might drive her to her demise, it appears from poem after poem that the poet has thought extensively on the subject.
In “SONNET XI,” for example, the reader can comprehend how sadness taunts Sargant in many hours of life as she describes her nightly thoughts:
HUSH’D is the busy hum of care-fraught day,
And spent with toil the weary cotters sleep;
All rest but me, to endless grief a prey,
I starting lie, or only wake to weep.
For sleep, the sense of woe can scarce efface,
Fond dreams but mock me with a show of joy,-
Give to my view some dear familiar face,
And promise bliss that reason must destroy.
Ah! when this fitful dream of life is o’er,
And I at peace in kindred dust am laid,
My errors then remember’d be no more,
And pity’s tear console my weary shade.
Rest to my troubled soul may then be giv’n,
And painful duty here be joy in Heav’n.
Many of Sargant’s sonnets and poems are written in relation to the seasons. The four seasons signify a plethora of emotions for her, as well as claiming their own particular meanings in terms of what they provide to the nature of her experience and livelihood.
“SONNET VII. WRITTEN ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF A HAPPY DAY” reveals a mix of emotions on the author’s part as she looks back on a joyful memory, but is downtrodden by the inescapable present reality that those happy experiences will ever remain only a memory:
NOW has the sun perform’d his annual round,
And bid the seasons mark the circling year;
Has Autumn seen, with waving plenty crown’d,
The hoary frosts of surly winter drear,
Gay Spring’s successive garlands fade away,
And Summer, smiling o’er the verdant plain-
Since last, with joyous heart, I hail’d this day,
And echo wak’d, with many a lively strain.
Ah! nought remains of all the charm’d before,
For change of months is oft but change of woe!
Refreshing gales may fading flow’rs restore,
And ev’ning dews a second bloom bestow
But hope destroy’d, defies the reach of art,
And unmolested preys upon the heart.
Throughout reading this collection, one may wonder how the author never actually chose to end her life by her own hand. Though this is a dismal thing to ponder, Sargant’s words illustrate a woman’s mind that seems almost preoccupied with meditations on death. But her response to this ominous preoccupation inquiry can also be found in her works. As she mentions in her preface, Sargant finds comfort in her religious beliefs. God appears in her writing as an almighty being that succors much of her despondency with relief. In several instances, she notes that despite the incessant pain and suffering that is endured in life, she is continually reassured that God will bring justice.
This conversation is acknowledged in “PARAPHRASE ON THE 14th AND 15th VERSES OF THE 42nd, PSALM,” as she asks questions that she struggles with, only to respond with the belief that God will make right anything wrong in her life:
I.
WHY sinks my soul with fear opprest?
Or why do cruel doubts arise,
That nightly thus disturb my rest,
And fill with tears my failing eyes?
II.
Oh put thy trust in God above,
And call upon his name alone;
The God of mercy and of love-
“The God who calls his creatures- own.”
III.
On Him, as on a rock, rely;
He neither sleep nor slumber takes:
He ever hears the suppliant’s cry,
The poor and sad he ne’er forsakes…
The poetry of Sargant is beautiful, owing at least in part to the language she chooses to profess her thoughts. She is not as unique as other female poets of her time when regarding the particular subject matters on which she focuses. Sargant remains emotionally and spiritually consistent, though, in discussing seasons, a greater power, death, and nature. The author does roam, at times, into the realm of war. This reflects part of her life as well, since she was from a military family and had many connections with contemporary military figures and military life. Even so, the poems that contain a military element nevertheless touch upon of the motifs her other poems examine.
Prepared by Gail Jeffrey, University of Nebraska, Spring 2018
© Gail Jeffrey, 2018