{\b Felicia Hemans}.

{\b Date of Birth}.: 23 September 1795

{\b Date of Death}.: 16 May 1835

{\b Works}.

Poems  (1808), England and Spain, or, Valour and Patriotism: A Poem  (1808), 
Domestic Affections and Other Poems  (1812), The Restoration of Works of Art 
in Italy  (1816), Modern Greece  (1817), Translations from Camoens and Other 
Poets  (1818), Wallace's Invocation to Bruce  (1819), Tales and Historic 
Scenes  (1819), The Sceptic  (1820), Welsh Melodies  (1822), The Siege of 
Valencia  (1823), Hymns for Childhood  (1827 US, 1834 UK), Casabianca  (1828), 
Records of Woman  (1828), Songs of Affections  (1830), Hymns on the Works of 
Nature for the Use of Children  (1833), National Lyrics and Songs for Music  
(1834), Scenes and Hymns of Life with Other Religious Poems  (1834).

 
{\b Featured Works}.

Casabianca, 'The Homes of England', 'Sunday in England', 'The Graves of a 
Household', 'English's Dead'.

{\b General Comment}.

Felicia Hemans, a prolific poet, hymn writer and essayist, and one of the most 
popular poets of her day, was born in Liverpool. She was the fifth of seven 
children, daughter of George Browne, a merchant of Irish ancestry, and 
Felicity Wagner, of German and Italian descent. When Felicity was seven the 
family moved to Gwyrch in North Wales. She received her education at home, 
being taught by her mother, neighbours and friends. By the age of fifteen she 
was composing in French. In 1809 she met Captain Alfred Hemans and married him 
in 1812. By this time she had already published three books of verse, Poems  
(1808), England and Spain, or, Valour and Patriotism  (1808), inspired by her 
brother, and Domestic Affections and Other Poems  (1818). All her early 
writings demonstrate her interest in contemporary social politics.

Between 1812 and 1818 she had five sons. Her fifth, Charles Isidore Hemans was 
to become a well-known antiquarian. When Charles was still a baby her marriage 
ended. Felicia continued to write, and in 1819 she won a prize for her poem 
Wallace's Invocation to Bruce. She published her critically acclaimed 
religious poem The Sceptic  in 1820. She was writing plays in 1823: Vespers of 
Palermo, a five act tragedy was performed in Covent Garden and Edinburgh, The 
Siege of Valencia  (1823) and De Chantillion  (n.d.) were never performed. Her 
own favourite work was The Forest Sanctuary, which depicts the agonies of a 
Spaniard undergoing religious persecution. It is said that her clear and 
concise style, her use of verse forms, and her subject matter owe more to the 
Eighteenth century than to her own.

In 1827 her mother died and in 1831 Felicia moved to Dublin.  She published 
four books here, in addition to contributing regularly to the Edinburgh 
Monthly Magazine  and Blackwood's  amongst others. Prior to her death she 
published three books of hymns. She is buried in St Anne's churchyard in Dublin.