The Voice - Thomas Hardy


This poem is in the voice of Hardy himself and he speaks of a love he once had for a women. It is unclear whether the woman was his wife or just a lover although I infer that it was indeed his wife from the line 'the one who was all to me', this indicates that this woman was clearly more important than just a lover.

Something that I noticed was the way the 'Woman' is not given a name, she is presented as a nameless being and for me this takes the attention away from the person itself and concentrates more on the emotional connection with the woman instead of maybe a physical attraction.

Another point I noticed was Hardy's use of  'listlessness' and ' wistlessness' these are both long drawn out words that are almost whispered when spoken, due to them being spoken from the front of the mouth, and requiring the use of the tongue for the S's. This gives me the impression of a ghost-like passing which suggests the woman he once loved has died and dissolved into the winds.