The Willing Mistriss
By Aphra Behn 1640-1689
Amyntas led me to a Grove,
Where all the Trees did shade us;
The Sun it self, though it had Strove,
It could not have betray'd us:
The place secur'd from humane Eyes,
No other fear allows,
But when the Winds that gently rise,
Doe Kiss the yielding Boughs.
Down there we satt upon the Moss,
And did begin to play
A Thousand Amorous Tricks, to pass
The heat of all the day.
A many Kisses he did give:
And I return'd the same
Which made me willing to receive
That which I dare not name.
His Charming Eyes no Aid requir'd
To tell their softning Tale;
On her that was already fir'd,
'Twas Easy to prevaile.
He did but Kiss and Clasp me round,
Whilst those his thoughts Exprest:
And lay'd me gently on the Ground:
Ah who can guess the rest?
Aphra Behn (1640-1689) is often called the first British professional female writer. She is best known for her plays, but she also wrote novels, short stories and poems. The Willing Mistriss, published in 1673, is one of Behn’s more challenging and provocative poems. This poem is narrated by the mistress herself who, as the title indicates, is “willing” and responsive to her lover. It describes an encounter between her and her lover, Amyntas. He leads her to a secluded spot in the woods, and then begins to seduce her. His kisses light her passion, and without needing further words, she agrees to sleep with him, although this is modestly left for the reader to "guess" at the end. Despite its erotic content, the poem depicts an idyllic, pastoral scene which influences much of the language and imagery in the poem, accentuated in Behn’s contemporaneous and personal narrative tone.
The behaviour of the lovers’ is foreshadowed by the behaviour of the winds, which "kiss the yielding boughs". The choice of the word "yielding" perfectly echoes the reactions of the "willing" mistress. Moreover, the poem evokes, in particular, a classical Greek theme, with the name of the man, Amyntas. However, there is no particular classical character that can be identified as Behn’s anticipated model as there are a number of different men in Greek history and literature, called Amyntas.
I especially take pleasure in how Behn challenges conventional depictions of women as refusing to go along with seduction; the woman in this poem is “already fir’d", and "no Aid" is "requir’d" for him, suggestive of the fact that she is as “willing” as Amyntas. This challenge to the conventions of the time is particularly enhanced by the fact that the poem is written by a woman; erotic poems from the time are well known, but would be written by a male poet. Nevertheless, there is some acknowledgement of the fact that erotica cannot be explicit in the 17th century in her description of sex as "that which I dare not name".
The prominent theme of female sexuality, expressed throughout Aphra Behn’s work, brings a liberating and seductive essence to her writing. This can be seen to be due to both the time period (17th Century), and the subject matter surrounding her pursuit. Her narrative strategy provided an open field for the female voice; a path through the emotional, sexual, and political alleys that were subjugated mainly by men.
In both Andrew Marvell’s To His Coy Mistress and Aphra Behn’s The Willing Mistriss the relationships show unconventional depictions of women, given the historical context of the time in which they were written.
In The Willing Mistriss the narrator is just as fir’d", as her lover, and is surprisingly explicit in her descriptions of their "amorous" exploits in the grove. However, Marvell describes his mistress’ “long-preserved virginity” that he longingly desires to take, suggesting she has not been as “willing”, like the woman of Behn’s poem.
Within The Willing Mistriss, despite being so assertive, the narrator is still ultimately feminine; it is she who is "yielding" and it is the man who takes the lead in their relationship, similar to Marvell, who’s “vegetable love should grow”, in anticipation for her to give in to his consistent request.
Although both women retain some coyness, the voices of the poems share a similarity in their eagerness, for example Behn in telling us that she was "willing to receive". The fact that her meaning is still clear only slightly detracts from the idea of retaining some timidity. While the women begin to push the boundaries of conventional relationships in The Willing Mistriss and To His Coy Mistress, they are still essentially confined by them.
M Chacko
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