Commentary on Ann Bradstreet
...ain. She states; “At thy return my blushing was not small, My rambling brat (in print) should mother call, I cast thee by as one unfit for light, Thy visage was so irksome in my sight;” When Bradstreet says, “At thy return my blushing was not small…” she is indicating that she is not very happy with her writings’ return. “My rambling brat (in print) should mother call…” One of the definitions that a dictionary has for “ramble” is “to spread in all directions, as a vine.” This definition coincides with the fact that Bradstreet’s works were “exposed abroad.” The dictionary defines the word “brat” as “an ill-mannered child.” So this line of the poem is Bradstreet’s “scolding” in a sense of her poem’s going away. Let’s look at the next two lines of the poem; “ I cast thee by as one unfit for light, Thy visage was so irksome in my sight;” I personally believe that when Bradstreet states that her works are “unfit for light,” that she no longer thinks her writings are worthy of public recognition. “ Unfit for light” could possibly mean that she has never actually thought her works were good enough for public “ligh...