Maude Clare Summary

The poem begins with the end of a wedding ceremony as the guests are leaving the church. The bride and groom's exit is followed by Maude Clare, whose appearance is more impressive than the bride's.

The groom's mother gives her son advice and wishes him a long and happy marriage. She tells her son that she and his father were in the same situation thirty years ago when they got married but they survived and so will the son.

We find out in the next verse what problems the lord and his wife are facing. Before the lord married Nell he was involved in a passionate affair with Maude Clare. Maude Clare addresses the lord after his wedding and gives him her half of the gold chain they had shared. She also reminds him of the time they spent together wading...