The Poetical Works of Christina Georgina Rossetti

Though the goblins cuffed and caught The kind heart made her windy-paced

That urged her home quite out of breath with haste

And inward laughter.

She cried, Laura,' up the garden,
'Did you miss me?
Come and kiss me.

Never mind my bruises,

Hug me, kiss me, suck my juices
Squeezed from goblin fruits for you,
Goblin pulp and goblin dew.

Eat me, drink me, love me;
Laura, make much of me;

For your sake I have braved the glen And had to do with goblin merchant men,'

Laura started from her chair,
Flung her arms up in the air,

Clutched her hair:

'Lizzie, Lizzie, have you tasted
For my sake the fruit forbidden?"
Must your light like mine be hidden,]
Your young life like mine be wasted,
Undone in mine undoing,
And ruined in my ruin,

Thirsty, cankered, goblin-ridden?'-
She clung about her sister,

Kissed and kissed and kissed her:
Tears once again

Refreshed her shrunken eyes,
Dropping like rain

After long sultry drouth;

Shaking with aguish fear, and pain, She kissed and kissed her with a hungry mouth.

Her lips began to scorch, That juice was wormwood to her tongue,

She loathed the feast:

Writhing as one possessed she leaped and sung,

Rent all her robe, and wrung

Her hands in lamentable haste,
And beat her breast.

Her locks streamed like the torch
Borne by a racer at full speed,

Or like the mane of horses in their
flight,

Or like an eagle when she stems the light

Straight toward the sun,

Or like a caged thing freed,

Or like a flying flag when armies run.

Swift fire spread through her veins,
knocked at her heart,
Met the fire smouldering there
And overbore its lesser flame;
She gorged on bitterness without a

name:

Ah fool, to choose such part
Of soul-consuming care!
Sense failed in the mortal strife:
Like the watch-tower of a town
Which an earthquake shatters down,
Like a lightning-stricken mast,
Like a wind-uprooted tree
Spun about,

Like a foam-topped waterspout
Cast down headlong in the sea,
She fell at last;

Pleasure past and anguish past,
Is it death or is it life?

Life out of death.

Their fruits like honey to the throat
But poison in the blood

(Men sell not such in any town):
Would tell them how her sister
stood

That night long Lizzie watched by In deadly peril to do her good,

her,

Counted her pulse's flagging stir,
Felt for her breath,

And win the fiery antidote :

Then joining hands to little hands
Would bid them cling together,-

Held water to her lips, and cooled For there is no friend like a sister

her face

With tears and fanning leaves.

But when the first birds chirped

about their eaves,

In calm or stormy weather;
To cheer one on the tedious way,

To fetch one if one goes astray,
To lift one if one totters down,

27 April 1859.

And early reapers plodded to the To strengthen whilst one stands.'

place

REPINING

SHE sat alway through the long day
Spinning the weary thread away;
And ever said in undertone,
'Come, that I be no more alone.'

From early dawn to set of sun
Working, her task was still undone ;
And the long thread seemed to in-

crease

Even while she spun and did not

cease.

She heard the gentle turtle-dove
Tell to its mate a tale of love;
She saw the glancing swallows fly,
Ever a social company;

She knew each bird upon its nest
Had cheering songs to bring it rest;
None lived alone save only she:-
The wheel went round more wearily;
She wept and said in undertone,
'Come, that I be no more alone.'

Day followed day and still she sighed
For love, and was not satisfied;
Until one night, when the moonlight
Turned all the trees to silver-white,
She heard, what ne'er she heard be-
fore,

A steady hand undo the door.
The nightingale since set of sun
Her throbbing music had not done,
And she had listened silently;
But now the wind had changed, and
she

Heard the sweet song no more, but heard

Beside her bed a whispered word: 'Damsel, rise up; be not afraid; For I am come at last,' it said.

She trembled, though the voice was

mild;

She trembled like a frightened child ;

Till she looked up, and then she saw
The unknown speaker without awe.
He seemed a fair young man, his eyes
Beaming with serious charities;
His cheek was white but hardly
pale;

And a dim glory like a veil
Hovered about his head, and shone
Through the whole room till night
was gone.

So her fear fled; and then she said, Leaning upon her quiet bed: 'Now thou art come, I prythee stay, That I may see thee in the day, And learn to know thy voice, and hear

It evermore calling me near.'

He answered, 'Rise and follow me. But she looked upwards wonderingly: 'And whither wouldst thou go, friend? stay

Until the dawning of the day.'
But he said: "The wind ceaseth,
Maid;

Of chill nor damp be thou afraid.'

She bound her hair up from the

floor,

And passed in silence from the door.

So they went forth together, he
Helping her forward tenderly.
The hedges bowed beneath his
hand;

Forth from the streams came the dry land

As they passed over; evermore
The pallid moonbeams shone before ;
And the wind hushed, and nothing

stirred;

Not even a solitary bird,
Scared by their footsteps, fluttered by
Where aspen-trees stood steadily.

As they went on, at length a sound
Came trembling on the air around;
The undistinguishable hum
Of life, voices that go and come
Of busy men, and the child's sweet
High laugh, and noise of trampling

feet.

No, 'tis a sound more terrible
Than though a thousand rivers fell.
The everlasting ice and snow
Were loosened then, but not to flow;-
With a loud crash like solid thunder
The avalanche came, burying under
The village; turning life and breath
And rest and joy and plans to
death.

'Oh let us fly, for pity fly!

Let us go hence, friend, thou and I.

Then he said, 'Wilt thou go and There must be many regions yet

see?'

And she made answer joyfully : 'The noise of life, of human life, Of dear communion without strife, Of converse held 'twixt friend and friend;

Is it not here our path shall end?' He led her on a little way

Where these things make not

desolate.'

He looked upon her seriously;
Then said: 'Arise and follow me.'
The path that lay before them was
Nigh covered over with long grass;
And many slimy things and slow

Until they reached a hillock: 'Stay.' Trailed on between the roots below. The moon looked dimmer than before;

It was a village in a plain.
High mountains screened it from the And shadowy cloudlets floating o'er

And the moon once looked forth, The air was cold; till from the South then fled A gust blew hot, like sudden drouth,

Behind dark clouds; while here and Into their faces; and a light,

there

The lightning shone out in the air,
And the approaching thunder rolled
With angry pealings manifold.
How many vows were made, and

prayers

That in safe times were cold and scarce !

Still all availed not; and at length The waves arose in all their strength, And fought against the ship, and filled The ship. unsealed,

Then were the clouds

Glowing and red, shone through the

night.

A mighty city full of flame
And death and sounds without a

name.

Amid the black and blinding smoke,
The people, as one man, awoke.
Oh happy they who yesterday
On the long journey went away!
Whose pallid lips, smiling and chill,
While the flames scorch them smile

on still;

Who murmur not, who tremble not And the rain hurried forth, and beat When the bier crackles fiery hot; On every side and over it.

Some clung together, and some kept A long stern silence, and some wept. Many half crazed looked on in

wonder

As the strong timbers rent asunder; Friends forgot friends, foes fled to foes;

And still the water rose and rose.

'Ah woe is me! Whom I have seen Are now as though they had not been. In the earth there is room for birth, And there are graves enough in earth;

Why should the cold sea, tempest

torn,

Bury those whom it hath not borne?',

ered not, and they went on. y of the heavens was gone; in gleamed not nor any star; ds were rustling near and far, n the trees the dry leaves fell sad sound unspeakable.

Who dying said in love's increase, 'Lord, let thy servant part in peace.'

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