The poet as a young architect went to superivise the reconstruction of a church near Cornwall. The place was a hundred miles away from his home. The poet sojourned there for few days where he happened to meet a young lady named Emma Gifford. He fell in love with her and later on he married her. This incident filled his life with pleasure and satisfaction. The poet was moved to such an extent by the incident that he left his profession of architecture. This was one of the most interesting happenings in Hardy?s life. To commemorate this happy incident the poet composed this poem and used Lyonnesse as a setting of his poem. Lyonnesse is a mythical place and here it is used as a land of joyfulness, gaiety and contentment
