Ask Dr. LJ!

[saxikath]

Okay, a challenge for all you librarians and other researchy types:

In the play I'm in, my character quotes a line that she claims is from a poem: "And sad affliction bravely borne." Googling this has so far given me only a page that has the text of the original novel the play is based on. Is this really a quote from an existing poem? If so, what poem? I'd love to have context for the quote.

Comments

[jadelennox]

nothing in LION, Columbia Granger Poetry, EEBO, Victorian Online, or several others. So I'm guessing if it's real, it's super obscure.

[sylvanstargazer.livejournal.com]

There is a Bronte poem that includes the phrase:
"Our woes are lighter than our fears,
And far more bravely borne."
That I've always rather liked, but might it be something Biblical instead? Not that I'd know what, but it sounds like the sort of thing that would come out the King James Version...

[amaebi.livejournal.com]

It souds Victorian to me, so I wasn't surprised on searching the KJV to find that it wasn't there.

saxikath, don't you think it could be the Bronte poem, mangled a bit by Bunny?

[saxikath]

It's certainly possible. She muddles everything else. :)

[tahnan.livejournal.com]

There's also "voyage-perils, bravely borne", which scans properly.