Dinah Maria Craik is an English novelist and poet from the late 19th century who delved mostly into the topics of, love, relationships, and loss. In the poem, "Douglas, Douglas, Tender and True." the speaker has just recently lost the love of her life, Douglas. "Never a scornful word should grieve ye, / I'd smile on ye sweet as the angels do,—" The speaker is bargaining for Douglas to come back to her by saying that they'd never fight and she'd always smile when he was around. "I never was worthy of you, Douglas; / Not half worthy the like of you: / Now all men beside seem to me like shadows— / I love you, Douglas, tender and true." Next the speaker states that she was never deserving of a great guy like Douglas, and that no other man shall ever take his place as they all pale in comparison to him. "Stretch out your hand to me, Douglas, Douglas, / Drop forgiveness from heaven like dew; / As I lay my heart on your dead heart, Douglas." In these final lines of the poem the speaker finally lets the readers know that Douglas is actually dead, and that she feels that she needs forgiveness from Douglas, maybe the speaker feels a little survivors guilt that she could have treated him better in life and everything would've been okay. 

Click here for a reading of the poem.

Dinah Maria Craik

Do you know the truth now up in heaven,

Now all men beside seem to me like shadows—

Drop forgiveness from heaven like dew;