Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea (1661–1720), was an English poet known for her lyrical and reflective verse. Born Anne Kingsmill, she grew up in a literary and political family, marrying Heneage Finch, who later became the 5th Earl of Winchilsea. Despite the constraints of her social position, Finch cultivated her literary talents and engaged with contemporary poetic traditions. Her poetry explores themes of nature, love, friendship, and the complexities of human experience. Finch's writing often reflects her personal struggles and disillusionment with societal norms, as well as her deep spiritual and philosophical inquiries. Although she did not seek publication during her lifetime, her work circulated among literary circles, and she gained posthumous recognition as a significant poet of the early 18th century. Finch's poetry is admired for its emotional depth, wit, and keen observations of the natural world, solidifying her place in the canon of English literature.

Finch wrote a small volume of verse in 1713 on two unpublished manuscripts. Anne Finch appears as Ardelia, the pastoral name she chose to replace her first pseudonym of Areta. It has been suggested that the name 'Ardelia' may have been chosen partly in tribute to Katherine Philips, known as 'The Matchless Orinda.'"

This is a poem that shows the romantic love between two women, even when those women have husbands that they may romantically or sexually love as well. The bonding of souls was quite common for women, especially those who subscribed to proto-feminism. A manuscript later published in pamphlet form.

Platonic Soul Bonding/Romantic Friendships and Protofeminism/Women evading cultural norms

Eph.

What Friendship is, ARDELIA shew

Ard.

'Tis to love, as I love You.

Eph.

This Account, so short (tho' kind)

Suits not my enquiring Mind.

Therefore farther now repeat;

What is Friendship when compleat?

Ard.

'Tis to share all Joy and Grief;

'Tis to lend all due Relief

From the Tongue, the Heart, the Hand;

'Tis to mortgage House and Land;

For a Friend be sold a Slave;

'Tis to die upon a Grave,

If a Friend therein do lie.

Eph.

This indeed, tho' carry'd high,

This, tho' more than e'er was done

Underneath the rolling Sun,

This has all been said before.

Can ARDELIA say no more?

Ard.

Words indeed no more can shew:

But 'tis to love, as I love you.

The way Ardelia and Ephelia speak to each other about their friendship clearly shows that their friendship was more emotional than regular best friends. They equate their friendship to love, which in this sense is a passionate, even romantic love, which can be perceived to be a higher caliber than other forms of love. This poem is reminiscent of the way in which two women, from any of the poems in this anthology, love one another. Love is more than marriage, it is more than friendship, but sometimes a bond so strong must be concealed beneath the two to survive.

Countess of Winchilsea Anne Finch | Poetry Foundation

Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea (1661 - 1720) (upenn.edu)

page ix: title page | Digital Collections (folger.edu)

“Love in All Its Oddness: The Affections in Women’s Private Poetry of the Eighteenth Century"

“The Love of a Good Woman”

“The Queen’s Looking Glass: Female Creativity, Male

Images of Women, and the Metaphor of Literary Paternity”

“FEMINISM AND FEMININITY: A RECONSIDERATION OF ANNE

FINCH’S ‘ARDELIA’S ANSWER TO EPHELIA'”

“FEMALE AGENCY AND FEMINOCENTRIC ROMANCE”