To Mr. Bowring
The first poem in the collection is entitled "To Mr. Bowring’’ and the poet begins the poem with a dedication, revealing who Mr. Bowring is. According to the introduction, Mr. Bowring is a translator who during his life translated many political translations.
The reason why the author praises Mr. Bowring is because she appreciates his talent as a translator and the way he transforms language to be more accessible. The author mentions some of the languages from which the author translated from and Russian and Dutch are among the languages Mr. Bowring translated from and the author highlights how Mr. Bowring did not only translate from those languages but also made it in such a way to transform the languages and the finite product into something pleasant.
The last part of the poem is used by the author to compare the work a translator does to the process of creating musing, thus highlighting just how complex and important both processes are and how in both cases the end results are works of art.
On the King’s Illness
The next poem is entitled "On the King’s Illness’’ and the poet wrote it as a way of commemorating the then ill King, George III. The poem was published in 1811 and just a few months later, the King was replaced by one of his successors because of his health problems.
The poet begins by mentioning how the King was afflicted in spirit, hinting towards the fact that he was unstable mentally. She wishes him rest in a place where the peasants and royalty are not different, thus hinting that the King may soon die. The author talks about the way the people will mourn him after his passing.
The author then goes to imagine the King in front of the Kings from the underworld who have no power over him because he was a good man while he lived and because he protected religion and those who wanted to practice their faith. The poet even praises him because he did not act like other Kings and instead allowed the people to practice their religion as they saw fit. The author also praises the King because he put an end to wars and the poet ends the poem by expressing her wish that the next generation will remember him fondly and will always regard him as a great leader.
Autumn
The poem "Autumn’’ begins with the poet lamenting the passing of spring and summer with all their richness and warmth and the vegetation and animals that made the poet feel happy. Autumn is called the "sickness of the year’’ and there is no cure for it. Next, the poet compares autumn with the reign of a King who is dying and she compares the two. One of the probable reasons why the poet compared the two is because the poet lived during a time when the King who ruled over the country was extremely sick and many people discussed the possibility of putting someone else in charge.
The narrator mentions how autumn influences everything and how the night became increasingly longer and the days much shorter. The author mentions how she can no longer walk as she used to because of the weather and how the people who once enjoyed sleeping outside are no longer able to do it because of the cold.
Next, winter comes and while the vegetation is affected by the snow, the author mentions how there are trees that keep their green leaves despite the harsh weather.
