The world is great: the birds all fly from me,
The stars are golden fruit upon a tree
All out of reach: my little sister went,
And I am lonely.
The world is great: I tried to mount the hill
Above the pines, where the light lies so still,
But it rose higher: little Lisa went
And I am lonely.
The world is great: the wind comes rushing by.
I wonder where it comes from; sea birds cry
And hurt my heart: my little sister went,
And I am lonely.
The world is great: the people laugh and talk,
And make loud holiday: how fast they walk!
I'm lame, they push me: little Lisa went,
And I am lonely.
~ George Eliot
Mary Anne (Mary Ann, Marian) Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880)
If you search on YouTube there are 6 parts of a BBC special on this lady. I have placed the first one below to pique your interest. It is about a famous male poets who turns out to be a woman. Forgive the subtitles but it is in English and well worth watching.
Now here is a very interesting lady!! Mary Anne Evans wrote as George Eliot so that she could be taken more seriously as a writer. She has many poems under many names. She was a big fan of pen names but mostly used them to avoid the problems she created with her writing. If you have not heard of "George" you really should look into her as she was a trailblazer and lightening rod for controversy. A woman willing to take risks. What are your thoughts on this poem? What are your thoughts on Mary Anne Evans (George Eliot)? Do you have any poems or anything else written by her you prefer? Please feel free to share your thoughts on either the poem displayed here or whichever version of the lady poet you wish in the comment section below.
Poets United posts a classic poem once weekly. We want to do this to introduce classic poets and their poems to our members. It is also a way to display different styles, genres and approaches to poetry. Our intent is to further expand the world of poetry while educating ourselves.
If you have a classic poem or set of prose you are fond of please let us know by emailing it to us at poetsunited@ymail.com
