Royal Names

Royal Names

(The couple’s reflections, being called Leopold and Victorine)

(Leopold II ruled as patriarch over Belgium, at the time Queen Victoria was ruling ‘Brittania’)

 

Her name cried out victory

Now fearing her defeat

Dependant on her family to eat

She had little choice but marrying a name of doubtful royalty

 

Though he was not the seventh son

He was given the king's name

As an officer he knew the army’s game

Now merely an tin soldier melting in the sun

 

Soon they were to meet

She, gifted with a spirit as ferocious as a cat

He worrying about the fainted colour of his hat

Not aware of the building heat

 

In the apparent shy near to withdrawn lady

Wondering whether she would be able to engage

In communication with this shadow of a king she had to gauge

His arguments were, at the least, a bit shady

 

Surely he was able to provide

His position, refined manners and rank

Life had been kind to him; he had his superiors to thank

For now he had to prepare for a change of tide

 

This feminine intellectual wave

A sea of words arriving at his end of the shore

He now was confronted with a woman, not an army w***e

He was grateful for the precious gift the old man gave

 

For they had both royal names

Suited by class, language and intellectual merit

They could be a royal couple; though she doubted

She would have the freedom to engage in intellectual games

 

Her thoughts wandered off to her friends

 Having children much adored and tutored up to standard, nothing to tell

Maybe she would mother too and share her wisdom well

Anxiously, she accepted her ordeal to meet the ends

 

 

 

 

 

Author's Note

To be continued in the next chapter...
No I am not related to any of the royal families mentioned!
It just struck me that my great grandfather was called Leopold and his wife was called Victorine, which is a French version of Victoria.
Besides King Leopold never married queen Victoria, that is what I remember from history lessons!
But royal marriages are still being arranged sometimes today, though some might not admit to it.

Reviews

[R J Askew]

Again you focus your reader on an aspect of history that in the west really is history, the arranged marriage. Reading your poem makes me think how truely strange it must have been to see your arranged partner for the first time. Of couse some must have got lucky and ended with spouses 'above their pay grade' so to speak.

[J.P. Bristow]

Into my favs and thats all I have to say about that!

[Mysteral - Night Prowle..]

Excellent poem, a wonderful piece of writing. Just one small comment:
>Now merely an tin soldier
Should be "...a tin soldier" Only use 'an' if the following noun begins with a vowel.

[Gandré]

I enjoyed this lesson on belgium history and your focusing at their way of private life and also this line "This feminine intellectual wave". be well. sweet poem. I loved it.

[Silent Kim aka mizmetap..]

Very nicely done, it is smoothly written and the story is being told clearly.

[Rockebah]

This feminine intellectual wave
A sea of words arriving at his end of the shore
He now was confronted with a woman, not an army w***e
He was grateful for the precious gift the old man gave

I love this poem but this stanza really caught me

[poddar kushal]

The layers of this poetic journey reveals so much!

[J. James Reider]

Choosing the abba scheme puts you in a challenging position from the get go, but you handled it well. The only hang up I had was when you rhymed "engage" and "gauge"... The words are too similar... You could try:

"Wondering whether she would be able to engage
Talking with this shadow of a king in a uniform of beige"

I know not what color said armies uniform is, but I am thinking beige cause it fits the era.

You always write such solid pieces and everything here really is top notch. I myself tend to shy away from abba and opt for the more traditional aabb or abab... Sometimes I get risque and go abccba... lol... That's aside the point.

I especially respect your interest in the history of your family. You manage to tell these stories in a way that keeps people interested and that's an accomplishment... Wonderful piece of writing (:

you have well expressed through parallel many concepts of royalty and the upper class.

You have also well presented a classic fear couples in arranged marriage have to face.

I like it, and I can see a good direction for the story

[Bellarina]

This is pretty cool! =]