The young poet
One of the earliest manuscript acquisitions for the Collections was Lawrence's Nottingham University College notebook which had remained in the hands of Lawrence's sister Emily (La L 2). It contains drafts of 77 poems alongside student notes and provides crucial evidence for the understanding of Lawrence's early poetic experiments. The majority of the texts were published in his lifetime, usually in revised form.
The notebook contains 'Last words to Muriel', a strongly personal poem reflecting Lawrence's emotions about his love for Jessie Chambers. It is a poem he reworked extensively.
'Last Words to Muriel' (detail) [La L 2/4]
An amended version, 'Last words to Miriam', was published first in Amores (1916) and in the Poetry Journal (Dec. 1916). Further changes were made in the version published in Collected Poems (1928).
Amores [La Z 1/8]
More: Jessie Chambers
DH Lawrence at Nottingham home