Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell

Author: Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, and Anne Brontë | Published: 1846

Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell Synopsis

In 1846, the Brontë sisters, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, published a volume of poetry under the pseudonyms Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. To evade the prevailing prejudice against female writers of their time, the sisters had taken on masculine first names, all beginning with the same letter of their actual names. Despite the quality of their work, the first edition of Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell failed to attract interest, and only two copies were sold.

Excerpt from Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell Online Book

I've quench'd my lamp, I struck it in that start

Which every limb convulsed, I heard it fall—

The crash blent with my sleep, I saw depart

Its light, even as I woke, on yonder wall;

Over against my bed, there shone a gleam

Strange, faint, and mingling also with my dream.

It sank, and I am wrapt in utter gloom

How far is night advanced, and when will day

Retinge the dusk and livid air with bloom,

And fill this void with warm, creative ray?

Would I could sleep again till, clear and red,

Morning shall on the mountain-tops be spread!

Find out more about Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë and Anne Brontë at sevenov.com.

The Brontë Sisters' Books on PageVio

Charlotte Brontë's Novels: Jane Eyre | Shirley | Villette | The Professor

Emily Brontë's Novels: Wuthering Heights

Anne Brontë's Novels: Agnes Grey | The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Poetry: Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell

Here are the full list of Charlotte Brontë's books, Emily Brontë's books and Anne Brontë's books.