Anges Mary Frances Robinson’s poem “Popular Leaves” describes her admiration for a beautiful woman. She compares her beauty to the pleasant qualities that nature has to offer. It is clear that the woman is absent while she is describing her, but when she looks at nature or more specifically “popular leaves” it reminds her of this woman. The poem also suggest that they had a relationship, but it has ended and leaves her in pain. This poem reminds me of Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18” because it compares his love to the beauty of nature and the pleasant emotions that it embarks on him. Line 4 and 5, Robinson smells the sweet smell of popular leaves which automatically makes her think of the beloved woman. I also am referring to this woman as her beloved because throughout the poem Robinson describes her as “my love” and how her soul grieves when she is not near.
This poem has taught me that one cannot and should not be afraid to express their feeling for another person no matter what gender they are. I think it is quite ironic that Robinson was in fact married to a man, so with this information I wonder if she had an affair or not. The love and infatuation she shares seems so real and legitimate that she must’ve truly been in love with this woman. She even makes sure to address that the person she is speaking about is referred to as “she”, which must have been controversial in Victorian times. But with that being said I fully support her poem and praise that she was one of the many famous queer Victorian poets.
Hey Laura! I like that you bring up the fact that Robinson was married because I think that that fact, in conjunction with her poetry, provides a really great commentary on Victorian social norms. It is very likely that Robinson only married this man to adhere to societal conventions, despite her apparent love and longing for the woman she speaks of in “Poplar Leaves.” I definitely agree with you that “Poplar Leaves” is reminiscent of Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18,” which gives the audience a lot of insight on Robinson’s love for the woman in the poem. Though I could not find any information on how Robinson identified her sexuality (if she even chose to label it), it’s possible that Robinson was bisexual or pansexual and did experience romantic and sexual attraction to men. It is apparent from this poem, though, that she wanted to be with this woman over anyone else, regardless of gender. Even today, there is a pressure for queer people, women especially, to suppress their sexual identity and conform to what is deemed more acceptable by our society’s heteronormative standards. This is why, very often, bisexual and pansexual women will end up married to men, because relationships between women are not normalized, only fetishized; even some lesbian women wind up with men just to avoid the negative stigma associated with lesbianism and queerness in general. I got a bit off-topic, here, but I certainly think that this was the case with Robinson, as she very clearly exhibits a deep love for the woman in “Poplar Leaves.” She very likely only married this man to conform to societal standards, but her love for this woman remained strong, as seen through her poetry.