Finished!

I finally finished reading Sense and Sensibility late last night. I'll try and get a review up sometime this weekend. I will say that I did enjoy it and I wish I had paid more attention to PBS's Jane Austen series a while back.

Today is actually the anniversary of Jane Austen's death. She died on July 18, 1817 when she was 41 years old. Rudyard Kipling has a poem called Jane's Marriage from his work The Janeites. For you true "Janeites" out there who can name all her heroines in alphabetical order, you might need a box of Kleenex for this one. On this day in particular, it's a a very touching poem.

Jane went to Paradise:
That was only fair.
Good Sir Walter followed her,
And armed her up the stair.
Henry and Tobias,
And Miguel of Spain,
Stood with Shakespeare at the top
To welcome Jane –

Then the Three Archangels
Offered out of hand
Anything in Heaven’s gift
That she might command.
Azrael’s eyes upon her,
Raphael’s wings above,
Michael’s sword against her heart,
Jane said: “Love.”

Instantly the under-
standing Seraphim
Laid their fingers on their lips
And went to look for him.
Stole across the Zodiac,
Harnessed Charles’s Wain,
And whispered round the Nebulae
“Who loved Jane?”

In a private limbo
Where none had thought to look,
Sat a Hampshire gentleman
Reading of a book.
It was called Persuasion,
And it told the plain
Story of the love between
Him and Jane.

He heard the question
Circle Heaven through –
Closed the book and answered:
“I did – and do!”

Quietly but speedily
(As Captain Wentworth moved)
Entered into Paradise
The man Jane loved!