Anne Bradstreet's poetry does deal with concepts of wilderness. I think we discussed in class the fact that she came to north America with John Winthrop, and wilderness was her environment. Because of this, she can't help but use the wilderness to create images and metaphors in her writing.
In Contemplations, she wonders at the natural world. She discusses the autumnal leaves, the tall oak's old age, the "swift annual and diurnal course," etc. She asks the sun, "art thou so full of glory that no eye hath strength thy shining rays once to behold?" (100.) In stanza 8 she mentions her feeling of awe , "Silent, alone, where none or saw, or heard, in pathless paths I lead my wand'ring feet, my humble eyes to lofty skies I reared. . ." (101.)
Bradstreet's A Letter to Her Husband, Absent upon Public Employment was obviously written during a period of wilderness in her life. She makes statements such as, "My sun is gone so far in zodiac, whom whilst I 'joyed, nor storms, nor frost I felt. . ." (108.)
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