The purposes of this paper are twofold: (1) to trace the unhappy relationship between Thomas Hardy and his wife, Emma, and (2) to make clear the reasons why Hardy composed 21 poems immediately after the death of Emma, whom he had treated coldly while she was alive.In spite of their love marriage of four years’ courtship, Hardy and Emma fell out with each other in less than a year, and their love began to fade by degrees. Their life was dyed with gloomy color. However, Hardy made no effort to improve the matter and restore their former love and harmony. The only thing he did was to escape into his own world as a writer. He continued to ignore his wife’s sad, painful feelings.Emma died suddenly in solitude in 1912. After her death, Hardy read “Some Recollections” written by her. This is a private history that describes their loving courtship in detail. Emma’s writing affected Hardy: he recalled their old, happy love and he also regretted his negligence as husband, though too late.Hardy composed 116 poems referring to Emma after her death. Especially he selected 21 poems from the group which he composed from December 1912 to March 1913, named “Poems of 1912-13” and released them in “Satires of Circumstance” in 1914. “Poems of 1912-13” is, therefore, Thomas and Emma Hardy’s autography of love and sorrow, and at the same time, Hardy’s confession of his guilt.論
