John Frederick Freeman Poetry

John Frederick Freeman (1880–1929) was an English poet and essayist prominent in the Georgian Poetry movement. After an initial career in insurance, he dedicated himself fully to writing, inspired by his close friend, poet Walter de la Mare. Freeman’s work is known for its reflective exploration of nature and rural themes, often employing precise, serene imagery to evoke a sense of tranquility. His poetry offered a calm, aesthetic counterpoint to the rapid social changes of his time and influenced other Georgian poets, such as Rupert Brooke and Edward Thomas, who shared his appreciation for nature and traditional forms.

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Loving Someone You Can't Have

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The Call

‘The Call’ depicts the dreaded return of a love the speaker agonizes through the night to repel, imagining it as a menacing spirit.

John Freeman relies on diction and imagery to create a mood of fear, reflecting the speaker's reaction to the eerie sound of a voice demanding to be let in. This ghostly manifestation of love arrives with a battering of wind and trees, followed by the cry to "Open!" their door—or heart—to this persevering spirit meant to represent fledgling feelings. Hoping to shut out these dreadfully revived sentiments, the speaker cowers inside, only to realize the presence has been internalized.

Is it the wind that stirs the trees,

Is it the trees that scratch the wall,

Is it the wall that shakes and mutters,

Is it a dumb ghost's call?

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