Angellica’s Lament

By Aphra Behn 1640–1689 Aphra Behn

Had I remained in innocent security,

I should have thought all men were born my slaves,

And worn my power like lightning in my eyes,

To have destroyed at pleasure when offended.

—But when love held the mirror, the undeceiving glass

Reflected all the weakness of my soul, and made me know

My richest treasure being lost, my honour,

All the remaining spoil could not be worth

The conqueror’s care or value.

—Oh how I fell like a long worshipped idol

Discovering all the cheat.

Biography

Aphra Behn, one of the most influential dramatists of the late seventeenth century, was also a celebrated poet and novelist. Her contemporary reputation was founded primarily on her "scandalous" plays, which she claimed would not have been criticized for impropriety had a man written them. Behn's assertion of her unique role in English literary history is confirmed not only by the extraordinary circumstances of her writings, but . . .

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