"Maude Clare" tells the story of an aristocrat named Lord Thomas who chooses to marry the wholesome Nell, a seemingly ideal Victorian bride, over the bold Maude Clare, whose reputation has been ruined as a result of her previous romance with Lord Thomas. Using the traditional ballad form, the poem elevates this Victorian love triangle into a tragic tale of sexism and hypocrisy. By depicting the spurned Maude Clare with sympathy—and turning an unflinching gaze on the callous, consequence-free actions of Lord Thomas—"Maude Clare" reveals the misogynistic double standards at the heart of Victorian society.
|
Get
LitCharts
|
|
The Full Text of “Maude Clare”
1Out of the church she followed them
2With a lofty step and mien:
3His bride was like a village maid,
4Maude Clare was like a queen.
5“Son Thomas, ” his lady mother said,
6With smiles, almost with tears:
7“May Nell and you but live as true
8As we have done for years;
9“Your father thirty years ago
10Had just your tale to tell;
11But he was not so pale as you,
12Nor I so pale as Nell.”
13My lord was pale with inward strife,
14And Nell was pale with pride;
15My lord gazed long on pale Maude Clare
16Or ever he kissed the bride.
17“Lo, I have brought my gift, my lord,
18Have brought my gift, ” she said:
19To bless the hearth, to bless the board,
20To bless the marriage-bed.
21“Here’s my half of the golden chain
22You wore about your neck,
23That day we waded ankle-deep
24For lilies in the beck:
25“Here’s my half of the faded leaves
26We plucked from the budding bough,
27With feet amongst the lily leaves, -
28The lilies are budding now.”
29He strove to match her scorn with scorn,
30He faltered in his place:
31“Lady, ” he said, - “Maude Clare, ” he said, -
32“Maude Clare, ” – and hid his face.
33She turn’d to Nell: “My Lady Nell,
34I have a gift for you;
35Though, were it fruit, the blooms were gone,
36Or, were it flowers, the dew.
37“Take my share of a fickle heart,
38Mine of a paltry love:
39Take it or leave it as you will,
40I wash my hands thereof.”
41“And what you leave, ” said Nell, “I’ll take,
42And what you spurn, I’ll wear;
43For he’s my lord for better and worse,
44And him I love Maude Clare.
45“Yea, though you’re taller by the head,
46More wise and much more fair:
47I’ll love him till he loves me best,
48Me best of all Maude Clare.
The Full Text of “Maude Clare”
1Out of the church she followed them
2With a lofty step and mien:
3His bride was like a village maid,
4Maude Clare was like a queen.
5“Son Thomas, ” his lady mother said,
6With smiles, almost with tears:
7“May Nell and you but live as true
8As we have done for years;
9“Your father thirty years ago
10Had just your tale to tell;
11But he was not so pale as you,
12Nor I so pale as Nell.”
13My lord was pale with inward strife,
14And Nell was pale with pride;
15My lord gazed long on pale Maude Clare
16Or ever he kissed the bride.
17“Lo, I have brought my gift, my lord,
18Have brought my gift, ” she said:
19To bless the hearth, to bless the board,
20To bless the marriage-bed.
21“Here’s my half of the golden chain
22You wore about your neck,
23That day we waded ankle-deep
24For lilies in the beck:
25“Here’s my half of the faded leaves
26We plucked from the budding bough,
27With feet amongst the lily leaves, -
28The lilies are budding now.”
29He strove to match her scorn with scorn,
30He faltered in his place:
31“Lady, ” he said, - “Maude Clare, ” he said, -
32“Maude Clare, ” – and hid his face.
33She turn’d to Nell: “My Lady Nell,
34I have a gift for you;
35Though, were it fruit, the blooms were gone,
36Or, were it flowers, the dew.
37“Take my share of a fickle heart,
38Mine of a paltry love:
39Take it or leave it as you will,
40I wash my hands thereof.”
41“And what you leave, ” said Nell, “I’ll take,
42And what you spurn, I’ll wear;
43For he’s my lord for better and worse,
44And him I love Maude Clare.
45“Yea, though you’re taller by the head,
46More wise and much more fair:
47I’ll love him till he loves me best,
48Me best of all Maude Clare.
-
“Maude Clare” Summary
-
-
“Maude Clare” Themes
-
Love, Marriage, and Social Expectations
- See where this theme is active in the poem.
-
Hypocrisy and Sexism in Victorian England
- See where this theme is active in the poem.
-
-
Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Maude Clare”
-
Lines 1-4
Out of the church she followed them
With a lofty step and mien:
His bride was like a village maid,
Maude Clare was like a queen. -
Lines 5-8
“Son Thomas, ” his lady mother said,
With smiles, almost with tears:
“May Nell and you but live as true
As we have done for years; -
Lines 9-12
“Your father thirty years ago
Had just your tale to tell;
But he was not so pale as you,
Nor I so pale as Nell.” -
Lines 13-16
My lord was pale with inward strife,
And Nell was pale with pride;
My lord gazed long on pale Maude Clare
Or ever he kissed the bride. -
Lines 17-20
“Lo, I have brought my gift, my lord,
Have brought my gift, ” she said:
To bless the hearth, to bless the board,
To bless the marriage-bed. -
Lines 21-24
“Here’s my half of the golden chain
You wore about your neck,
That day we waded ankle-deep
For lilies in the beck: -
Lines 25-28
“Here’s my half of the faded leaves
We plucked from the budding bough,
With feet amongst the lily leaves, -
The lilies are budding now.” -
Lines 29-32
He strove to match her scorn with scorn,
He faltered in his place:
“Lady, ” he said, - “Maude Clare, ” he said, -
“Maude Clare, ” – and hid his face. -
Lines 33-36
She turn’d to Nell: “My Lady Nell,
I have a gift for you;
Though, were it fruit, the blooms were gone,
Or, were it flowers, the dew. -
Lines 37-40
“Take my share of a fickle heart,
Mine of a paltry love:
Take it or leave it as you will,
I wash my hands thereof.” -
Lines 41-44
“And what you leave, ” said Nell, “I’ll take,
And what you spurn, I’ll wear;
For he’s my lord for better and worse,
And him I love Maude Clare. -
Lines 45-48
“Yea, though you’re taller by the head,
More wise and much more fair:
I’ll love him till he loves me best,
Me best of all Maude Clare.
-
-
“Maude Clare” Symbols
-
The Hearth, the Board, the Marriage-Bed
- See where this symbol appears in the poem.
-
Lilies
- See where this symbol appears in the poem.
-
Maude Clare's Gifts
- See where this symbol appears in the poem.
-
Fruit blooms and flower dew
- See where this symbol appears in the poem.
-
-
“Maude Clare” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
-
Anaphora
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Assonance
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Caesura
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Dialogue
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Imagery
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Irony
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Juxtaposition
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Metaphor
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Parallelism
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Repetition
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Simile
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Alliteration
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
-
“Maude Clare” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Lofty
- Mien
- Strife
- Hearth
- Board
- Beck
- Bough
- Scorn
- Faltered
- Fickle
- Paltry
- Thereof
- Spurn
- Fair
-
- See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.
-
Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Maude Clare”
-
Form
-
Meter
-
Rhyme Scheme
-
-
“Maude Clare” Speaker
-
-
“Maude Clare” Setting
-
-
Literary and Historical Context of “Maude Clare”
-
-
More “Maude Clare” Resources
-
External Resources
-
Gender and Power — Read about the role of gender and power in Christina Rossetti's work.
-
"Maude Clare" in "Once A Week" Magazine — Scroll down to see the original 1859 printing of "Maude Clare," including verses later cut from the poem.
-
The Pre-Raphaelites — Explore the artistic and literary context in which Christina Rossetti worked.
-
The Fallen Woman — See different artistic representations of the Victorian archetype of the "fallen woman."
-
Christina Rossetti's Biography — Read about the poet's life and work.
-
-
LitCharts on Other Poems by Christina Rossetti
-
Ask LitCharts AI:
The answer to your questions
Powered by LitCharts content and AI.
