Andrew's Wiki
Cousin Kate

Content

• A bitter Hardian tale of a humble lover seduced, then cast-off by an unscrupulous richer man, the lord of the country
  • But this time, her cousin got him to marry him
  • He does lift someone up to marry, but because she was “good and pure”
  • And now she is an outcast in the neighborhood
• The speaker speaks to cousin Kate, who “won”
  • She pleads with her: how could you betray me and marry him, who’s casting your own cousin out?
• The last verse gives a cruel threat, shows reversal of fate
  • Kate can’t give the lord an heir, but the narrator had a little boy by the man

Style

• Not as complex or interesting as some other poems: this one seems pretty much a narrative

Quotes

• “To lead a shameless shameful life”
• “He wore me like a silken knot / He changed me like a glove”