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Swift Cadenus Vanessa Poem Esther Dean Published Vanhomrigh

Front Cadenus and Vanessa
Back a poem
Swift
1713
Vanessa was Esther and Cadenus was dean Swift.
Vanessa fell in love with Swift but he didn't return her passion, though he treated her with respect and esteem
the poem gives an equivocal account of their relationship in mock-classical form.
Esther preserved the poem and it was published in 1726

Cadenus and Vanessa is a poem by Jonathan Swift about one of his lovers, Esther Vanhomrigh (Vanessa), written in 1713 and published as a book in 1726, three years after the death of Vanhomrigh. It contains in its title an anagram and a neologism: Cadenus is an anagram of the Latin decanus, meaning ‘dean’: Swift was dean of St Patrick's, and known as Dean Swift in the manner of the time. The neologism is Vanessa, in secret reference to Esther Vanhomrigh. The name starts with the first three letters of her surname and the first two of her first name.

With this poem, Swift created the popular woman's name Vanessa.

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