The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-12-18
- HOW'DNOU WRITE g
w. LOVE'LETTER ?k@Ag
POET SHELLEY no MARY.

There is very little that is characteris-
tic of the poet Shelley to be found in any
of his letters which have yet been printed.
In collection of his prose writings, ed
tied by his wife, she gives a few letters
written to her. after they had gone to
reside in Italy. They are printed some-
what ragmentarily, consequently to use
fragments, leaving out portions which re-
late to business or uninteresting mat
ters
Shelley does not pour out.his heart like
Keats, nor write to his publisher or
friends every trivial occasion like
Byron, and one feels in his letters a reti-
cence of nature which did not unloose it
self excepting in his poetry.
1t was in this characteristic way that
Shelley wrote to Mary
We'll, my dearest Mary, are you very
lonely? Tell me the truth, my sweetest,
do you ever cry? L shall hear from you
in Venice and once on my return here
If you love me you will keep up your spir-
it's; and at all events tell me the truss.
for | assure you am not of disposition
to be fattered by your sorrow, though
should be by your cheerfulness, and
above all by seeing such fruits of my alb
sence as were produced when we were at
Geneva. You must soon come and scold
me IL have done wrong. and kiss me IL
1 have done right. for am sure do not
know which, and only events can show.
Dearest love, be well, be happy, come
to me, confde in me who is so constant
and affectionate 1 write to you with DIFF
| ficulty-probably l shall never write to
you again. Adieu. God bless youl
kiss the blue-eyed darlings for me,
and do not let William forget me. Clara
will not recollect me-"
Shelley's first wife was Harriet West
brook. They were both very young and
| eloped to Gredna Green for the cerc-
! mony. They separated soon afterward by
mutual consent Three years after the
separation Harriet drowned herself. and
the poet nearly lost his reason through
fear that the fault was his.
Even his enemies knew that Harriet
cared nothing for him. Forty days after
the separation the poet left London with
Mary Goodwin. Mary was the daughter
of political writer. The Godwins did not
believe in marriage, so Mary and Shelley
liz ed together Tor a time WITHOUT going
through the wedding ceremony. When
Harriet was no longer living, however,
they were married.
Shelley took Mary and went to Italy,
living at Lerici on the Gulf of Spezia.
Byron was also in Italy at the time, and
they invited Leigh Hunt to join them with
his family. The plan was to publish a
periodical-the thpee of them. Coming
from q conference about the starting of
this paper in small boat Shelley and a
companion were canght in a sudden tenn
pest and drowned. The poets body was
not recovered until week later. 1t was
cremated almost Immediately, the heart
was saved and Hunt gave 1t to his
stricken wife, who took 1t to Boscombe
where 1t now is. His ashes were buried
in Rome in the Protestant cemetery. aud
as to the rest of Marys life it is a story
of it's own-a faithful wife and a devoted
mother Mrs. Shelley was an untiring lit
erary worker during her widowhood. But
she dropped visiby each year and died
in Nice, February n, 1851.
Mary Shelley was, like her husband, ex-
ceptionally clever. After Shelley started
to live with her he was compelled at
times 10 have business relations with his
first wife and used to visit her. sin a sur
prisingly good humor." as Mary declared,
and Mary's diary at this time is per-