Love in fantastic Triumph sat,
Aphra Behn's poem 'Love Armed' personifies love as a triumphant conqueror who sits surrounded by bleeding hearts. Love is depicted as a tyrannical force that creates pain and suffering rather than joy. The speaker describes how love takes various attributes from both herself and another person (possibly a lover): fire from the other's eyes, desire from her own, sighs and tears from herself, and pride and cruelty from the other. This shared contribution to Love's power makes him a deity, yet the speaker laments that only her heart is harmed while the other's remains victorious and free. The poem explores themes of love's dual nature, power dynamics in relationships, and the personal cost of love. Behn uses vivid imagery and personification to convey the emotional turmoil and complexity of love, highlighting its ability to both uplift and destroy.
| Word | Easy Meaning | Translation | Pron. |
|---|---|---|---|
| fantastic | unreal, imaginative | unbelievably great | fan-tas-tic |
| triumph | victory, success | a great success | try-umph |
| whilst | while, during | at the same time as | wilst |
| tyrannic | oppressive, dictatorial | using power in a cruel way | ty-ran-nic |
| hurl | throw forcefully | to throw something with great force | hur-l |
| amorous | loving, romantic | about love | am-or-ous |
| languishments | weaknesses, sufferings | being weak | lan-guish-ments |
| deity | god, divine being | a god | dee-i-ty |
| victor | winner, conqueror | winner | vic-tor |
| cruelty | harshness, brutality | enjoying causing pain | cru-el-ty |
| undo | ruin, destroy | to ruin | un-do |
| sighs | breaths of sadness | long, deep breaths expressing sadness or relief | sai-z |
| dart | arrow, missile | a small arrow | dart |
| pride | self-esteem, arrogance | feeling good about oneself | pride |
| harm | injure, damage | hurt | harm |
Aphra Behn (bapt. 14 December 1640 – 16 April 1689) was an English playwright, poet, and translator from the Restoration era. She was one of the first English women to earn her living by writing, breaking cultural barriers for women authors. Behn was also employed as a spy by Charles II and wrote under the pseudonym Astrea.
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