"Godiva" is a
poem
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...
written in 1840 by the poet
Alfred, Lord Tennyson when he was returning from
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...
to London, after his visit to Warwickshire in that year. It was first published in 1842. No alteration was made in any subsequent edition.
Godiva
on The Literature Network
The poem is based on the story of the Countess Godiva
Lady Godiva (; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English , was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who is relatively well documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a patron of various churches and monasteries. Today, she is mainly reme ...
, an Anglo-Saxon lady who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry after her husband promised that he would remit oppressive taxes on his tenants if she agreed to do so.
References
External links
"Godiva" text online
{{Lady Godiva
Poetry by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
British poems
1842 poems
Lady Godiva