Life, 1902-04-03 · page 3 of 20
Life — April 3, 1902 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 281 This page features a symbolic illustration of a woman's face surrounded by spring flowers, labeled "My Sweet April" and "April." The accompanying poem addresses the personification of April as a female figure, celebrating her various qualities—joy, fortune, sunshine, and charm. The text references classical mythology (Phoebus, the sun god) and uses seasonal metaphors common to 19th-century Romantic poetry. Rather than political satire, this appears to be sentimental, nature-themed verse typical of Life magazine's literary content. The elaborate art nouveau-style illustration and flowery language reflect early 20th-century aesthetic preferences for allegorical representations of seasons and months as idealized female figures. This is literary/artistic content rather than political commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
PRIL, sweet soul of her, I love the whole of her,— Joy be the goal of her, Fortune attend! Spring, win the heart of her, (Though but the part of her,) Who hath a chart of her? Heaven forfend! Witchcraft, the wile of her, Sunshine, the smile of her, Virtue, the guile of her Duly suppressed. ‘Where is the harm of her, Or the alarm of her? Oh, but the charm of her Can't be expressed ! Say the malicious Her temper's capricious, But aren't they delicious— Her varying moods ?— A smile in the water, Where Phoebus hath sought her,— Though wind shall have wrought her To wrath in the woods. While Summer's wooing her With life imbuing ber, Gently undoing her Cloak of reserve ; While Winter's holding her, While Spring's enfolding her, Mortals are scolding her, Please to observe ! Why are ye flaying her? Unjust the weighing her, With suitors swaying her, That way and this. Though Winter tarry her, And Summer harry her, Spring yet shall marry her.— Great be their bliss. Edna Kingsley Wallace, comicbooks.com