Poem: Perhaps
Author: Vera Brittain
About the author:
She was born on December 29th 1893 in Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Staffordshire, the
daughter of well-off parents. She had a younger brother, Edward. Vera was a rebellious child
and, growing up was discontented with the role of women in society.
Her first chance of liberation came in 1913 when she received an offer of a place at the
Oxford college named Somerville where she would study English Literature, despite her
father’s disapproval. Her brother was to study here along with Roland Leighton, who Vera
swiftly fell for.
In 1914 war broke out and Vera encouraged her brother to join up. At that time, like many
others, she was seduced by the perceived glamour of war.
However this optimism was quickly replaced by a realisation of the horror of the destruction
of so many men, a horror shown to her during her service as a volunteer field nurse in the
summer of 1915. Her brother, two friends and her fiancé Roland were all killed. These
experiences would form the basis of her 1933 novel Testament of Youth, her
semi-autobiographical book which would later be made into a film.
After the war ended she resumed her studies at Oxford and immersed herself in the literary
scene there. In 1925 she married political scientist George Caitlin and bore two children, one
of whom grew up to be Liberal politician Baroness Shirley Williams.
In November 1966 a fall in a London street, in which she sustained several broken bones,
precipitated her physical and mental decline. She died March 29th 1970 in Wimbledon,
London and her ashes were scattered on her brother’s grave at an Italian WW1 battlefield
site, as she requested.
Analysis of the poem:
Perhaps (To R.A.L.)
, 1 Perhaps some day the sun will shine again, A
2 And I shall see that still the skies are blue. B
3 And feel once more I do not live in vain, A
4 Although bereft of You. B
5 Perhaps the golden meadows at my feet C
6 Will make the sunny hours of Spring seem gay. D
7 And I shall find the white May blossoms sweet, C
8 Though You have passed away. D
9 Perhaps the summer woods will shimmer bright, E
10 And crimson roses once again be fair, F
11 And autumn harvest fields a rich delight, E
12 Although You are not there. F
13 Perhaps some day I shall not shrink in pain G
14 To see the passing of the dying year, H
15 And listen to Christmas songs again, G
16 Although You cannot hear. H
17 But, though kind Time may many joys renew, I
18 There is one greatest joy I shall not know J
19 Again, because my heart for loss of You I
20 Was broken, long ago. J
(To R.A.L.): Roland Aubrey Leighton (1895-1915)
Reading Poetry:
1. Rephrase the poem in your own words. What does your paraphrase reveal
about the poem’s subject and central concerns? What is lost or gained in
your paraphrase of the poem?
Vera Brittain wrote this poem for her fiance Roland who died in the war. In this poem
she expresses her sorrow over/at his death and she hopes that with time she will be
okay again, however at the same time she says that she will always be somehow
sad or broken for his loss.
Vera Brittain's poem 'Perhaps' presents some of the emotions that can be felt after
losing a loved one. The speaker in this poem has lost someone to whom they are
close and is clearly experiencing feelings of sadness and grief.
Author: Vera Brittain
About the author:
She was born on December 29th 1893 in Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Staffordshire, the
daughter of well-off parents. She had a younger brother, Edward. Vera was a rebellious child
and, growing up was discontented with the role of women in society.
Her first chance of liberation came in 1913 when she received an offer of a place at the
Oxford college named Somerville where she would study English Literature, despite her
father’s disapproval. Her brother was to study here along with Roland Leighton, who Vera
swiftly fell for.
In 1914 war broke out and Vera encouraged her brother to join up. At that time, like many
others, she was seduced by the perceived glamour of war.
However this optimism was quickly replaced by a realisation of the horror of the destruction
of so many men, a horror shown to her during her service as a volunteer field nurse in the
summer of 1915. Her brother, two friends and her fiancé Roland were all killed. These
experiences would form the basis of her 1933 novel Testament of Youth, her
semi-autobiographical book which would later be made into a film.
After the war ended she resumed her studies at Oxford and immersed herself in the literary
scene there. In 1925 she married political scientist George Caitlin and bore two children, one
of whom grew up to be Liberal politician Baroness Shirley Williams.
In November 1966 a fall in a London street, in which she sustained several broken bones,
precipitated her physical and mental decline. She died March 29th 1970 in Wimbledon,
London and her ashes were scattered on her brother’s grave at an Italian WW1 battlefield
site, as she requested.
Analysis of the poem:
Perhaps (To R.A.L.)
, 1 Perhaps some day the sun will shine again, A
2 And I shall see that still the skies are blue. B
3 And feel once more I do not live in vain, A
4 Although bereft of You. B
5 Perhaps the golden meadows at my feet C
6 Will make the sunny hours of Spring seem gay. D
7 And I shall find the white May blossoms sweet, C
8 Though You have passed away. D
9 Perhaps the summer woods will shimmer bright, E
10 And crimson roses once again be fair, F
11 And autumn harvest fields a rich delight, E
12 Although You are not there. F
13 Perhaps some day I shall not shrink in pain G
14 To see the passing of the dying year, H
15 And listen to Christmas songs again, G
16 Although You cannot hear. H
17 But, though kind Time may many joys renew, I
18 There is one greatest joy I shall not know J
19 Again, because my heart for loss of You I
20 Was broken, long ago. J
(To R.A.L.): Roland Aubrey Leighton (1895-1915)
Reading Poetry:
1. Rephrase the poem in your own words. What does your paraphrase reveal
about the poem’s subject and central concerns? What is lost or gained in
your paraphrase of the poem?
Vera Brittain wrote this poem for her fiance Roland who died in the war. In this poem
she expresses her sorrow over/at his death and she hopes that with time she will be
okay again, however at the same time she says that she will always be somehow
sad or broken for his loss.
Vera Brittain's poem 'Perhaps' presents some of the emotions that can be felt after
losing a loved one. The speaker in this poem has lost someone to whom they are
close and is clearly experiencing feelings of sadness and grief.
