Adela Florence Nicolson (née Cory) (9 April 1865-4 October 1904) was an English poet who wrote under the pseudonym Laurence Hope.
The second of three daughters of Colonel Arthur Cory and Fanny Elizabeth Griffin. Her father was employed in the British army at Lahore, and she was raised by her relatives back in England. She left for India in 1881 to join her father. Her father was editor of the Lahore arm of The Civil and Military Gazette, and it was he who in all probability gave Rudyard Kipling (a contemporary of his daughter) his first employment as a journalist.
Adela married Colonel Malcolm Hassels Nicolson, who was then twice her age and commandant of the 3rd Baluchi Regiment in April 1889. A talented linguist, he introduced her to his love of India and native customs and food, which she began to share. This widely gave the couple a reputation for being eccentric.
In 1901, she published Garden of Kama, which was published a year later in America under the title India's Love Lyrics. She attempted to pass these off as translations of various poets, but this claim soon fell under suspicion. Somerset Maugham published a story called The Colonel's Lady loosely based on the ensuing scandal. Her poems often used imagery and symbols from the poets of the North-West Frontier of India and the Sufi poets of Persia.
She was among the most popular romantic poets of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Her poems are typically about unrequited love and loss and often, the death that followed such an unhappy state of affairs. Many of them have an air of autobiography or confession. Her poetry was extremely popular during the Edwardian period, being hailed by such men as Thomas Hardy, and having two films as well as some musical adaptions of her poetry made, but since then her reputation has faded into near-obscurity.
British composer Amy Woodforde-Finden set four of her lyrics from The Garden of Kama to music, the most popular of which was Kashmiri Song; and after these proved a critical success, set four more lyrics from Stars of the Desert (published in 1903) to music as well.
After her husband died in a prostate operation, Adela, who had been prone to depression since childhood, committed suicide by poisoning herself and died at the age of 39 on 4 October 1904 in Madras. She had suffered acute depression since her husband's death. She was buried, like General Nicolson, in St. Mary's cemetery, Madras. She left one son, Malcolm Josceline Nicolson.
Her son Malcolm published her Selected Poems posthumously in 1922.
Her husband, Malcolm Hassels Nicolson (1843-1904), general, son of Major Malcolm Nicolson of the Bengal army, was born on 11 June 1843. He entered the army in 1859 as ensign in the Bombay infantry, and was promoted lieutenant in 1862. Serving in the Abyssinian campaign of 1867-8, he was present at the action at Azogel and at the capture of Magdala, and received the Abyssinian medal. He attained the rank of captain in 1869. During the Afghan war of 1878-80 he saw much active service. He took part in the occupation of Kandahar and fought at Ahmed Khel and Urzoo. He was mentioned in despatches, and in 1879, while the war was in progress, he was promoted major. After the war he received the Afghan medal with one clasp, and in March 1881 the brevet rank of lieutenant-colonel. He became army colonel in 1885 and substantive colonel in 1894. For his services in the Zhob Valley campaign of 1890 he was again mentioned in despatches, and he was made C.B. in 1891. From 1891 to 1894 hhe was aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria, being promoted major-general in 1899. A good service pension was conferred on him in 1893. He died on 7 Aug. 1904 at Mackay's Gardens nursing home, Madras, and was buried in St. Mary's cemetery. General Nicolson was an expert linguist, having passed the interpreter's test in Baluchi, Brahui, and Persian, and the higher standard in Pushtu.
Her sisters Annie Sophie Cory and Isabel Cory also pursued writing careers: Annie wrote popular, racy novels under the pseudonym "Victoria Cross," while Isabel assisted and then succeeded their father as editor of the Sind Gazette.I got my layout at Cleanupmyspace.com
