‘A Winter Landscape’ by Mathilde Blind

Summary

The webpage content discusses the 19th-century poet Mathilde Blind, her life, work, and influence, particularly focusing on her poem "A Winter Landscape," alongside showcasing a painting by Susan Alison inspired by the poem.

Abstract

The website delves into the literary contributions of Mathilde Blind, a pioneering female poet of the 19th century known for her free-thinking and advocacy for social justice and women's suffrage. It highlights her poem "A Winter Landscape," which reflects on the beauty and transformation of nature amidst a snowstorm, and draws parallels between the oppression of nature and that of women. The page also features a painting by Susan Alison that captures the essence of Blind's poem, emphasizing the interplay between visual art and poetry. The content underscores Blind's significant place in London's literary society and her diverse body of work, including her response to Darwin's theory of evolution from a feminist perspective in "The Ascent of Man." The page concludes with a reflection on the enduring impact of classic poetry on personal creativity and provides links to additional works and resources on public domain material.

Opinions

Mathilde Blind is recognized for her success as a writer in a male-dominated era and her defiance of social norms.
Blind's work is seen as a reflection of her commitment to social justice and the advancement of women's rights.
The poem "A Winter Landscape" is interpreted as a metaphor for the resilience of nature and the cyclical nature of life, with darkness giving way to light.
The inclusion of Susan Alison's painting demonstrates the ongoing influence of classic poetry on contemporary artists.
The author of the webpage expresses a personal connection to and inspiration from Blind's poetry, valuing its ability to refresh and invigorate their own creativity.
The page advocates for the importance of understanding the use of public domain materials to encourage the sharing and adaptation of creative works without infringement.

‘A Winter Landscape’ by Mathilde Blind

All night, all day, in dizzy, downward flight, Fell the wild-whirling, vague, chaotic snow, Till every landmark of the earth below, Trees, moorlands, roads, and each familiar sight Were blotted out by the bewildering white. And winds, now shrieking loud, now whimpering low, Seemed lamentations for the world-old woe That death must swallow life, and darkness light.

But all at once the rack was blown away, The snowstorm hushing ended in a sigh; Then like a flame the crescent moon on high Leaped forth among the planets; pure as they, Earth vied in whiteness with the Milky Way: Herself a star beneath the starry sky.

Mathilde Blind was a 19th century poet who overcame long-established social prejudices to become a well-known, very successful writer. She was a free-thinker in a time when it was not encouraged in women!

She was interested in social justice, and women’s suffrage, keeping company with many revolutionary-thinking individuals, including, for example, Karl Marx.

Not all her work was politically-inspired, as evidenced in ‘Autumn Tints’. She did however, view the oppression of nature in a similar light to that of the oppression of women.

During the 1870s and 1880s her reputation as a poet increased, and she became a familiar name in London literary society.

She died in 1896 leaving behind a large body of work. She is best remembered for ‘The Ascent of Man’ which she wrote from the feminist point of view in response to Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

Although she excelled in many areas, writing all kinds of treatises on current thought — her own, and other people’s — translations, biographies, a novel, it was poetry that was gave her the most literary satisfaction as evidenced by what she wrote to a friend: “My only real intense life has been for a long time in writing, and when I cannot swim and float about in the enchanted waters of poetry I am like a fish out of water. I gasp and pant for want of the proper element to breathe in.”

Some Mathilde Blind quotes:

“Life grows lovely where you are”

“Not liberty but duty is the condition of existence”

“The April rain, the April rain, Comes slanting down in fitful showers, Then from the furrow shoots the grain, And banks are fledged with nestling flowers; And in grey shawl and woodland bowers The cuckoo through the April rain Calls once again.”

My own creativity is always refreshed by reading the creative works of others — especially some of the classic poems, knowing they were written in a different world at a different time, with a different mindset.

Other poetic gems:

CREATIVE REFRESHMENT

‘A Winter Landscape’ by Mathilde Blind

‘Starry, starry night’ painting by Susan Alison

‘A Winter Landscape’ by Mathilde Blind

‘Autumn Tints’ by Mathilde Blind

Celebrating the fleeting kaleidoscope of autumn colours

‘Snow-Flakes’ by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

‘Silent, and Soft, and Snow’, painting by Susan Alison

‘Winter Streams’ by Bliss Carman

‘Morning Flight’ — painting by Susan Alison

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Using Public Domain Material

How to avoid the potholes that lead to inadvertently infringing someone’s rights