There is nothing new under the sun.
All along I had kept
My love dark, & stepped
Carefully. Now I’m in tears,
For my secret plainly shows:
My womb has grown, & grows,
And the child’s birth nears.
Mother scolds me all day,
Father keeps out of my way,
Two grim, unfriendly faces.
I sit in the house on my own
And daren’t go out alone
To enjoy public places.
If I do venture outside,
I’m curiously eyed
As though I were a freak.
At the sight of this belly, men
Nudge one another, & when
I walk past don’t speak.
Anon (12th century)
