When I first encountered her poem Love and Hate, it was as if Lizzie Siddal reached across a century, grabbed me by the heart and said, “Feel me”.
It is not a complex poem, but it succeeds in conveying passion and anger. Her bitterness is palpable. With all the force of “blasts of heaven to take thee down”, Siddal unleashes her rage.
Perhaps this poem finds its roots in the relationship between Lizzie and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. I take no sides, they both had responsibility for their individual shortcomings. But this poem gives us a glimpse of Lizzie’s frustration at a love that had soured. ” Great love I bore thee: now great hate
Sits grimly in its place.”
To accompany the poem, I have included Lizzie’s self-portrait. It provides a striking contrast to the beautiful images Gabriel created of Lizzie. Unlike most women (myself probably included) who choose to show themselves in the best possible light, Lizzie painted simply what she saw. I think it is a strong artistic statement that she made, and a bold one at that. Her poem is stark, laying her soul bare. Her self-portrait is unflinching and honest. Is it any wonder that I admire her so much?
