Tuesday, September 22, 2009

dream land...

Where sunless rivers weep

Their waves into the deep,

She sleeps a charmed sleep:

Awake her not.

Led by a single star,

She came from very far

To seek where shadows are

Her pleasant lot.

She left the rosy morn,

She left the fields of corn,

For twilight cold and lorn

And water springs.

Through sleep, as through a veil,

She sees the sky look pale,

And hears the nightingale

That sadly sings.

Rest, rest, a perfect rest

Shed over brow and breast;

Her face is toward the west,

The purple land.

She cannot see the grain

Ripening on hill and plain;

She cannot feel the rain

Upon her hand.

Rest, rest, for evermore

Upon a mossy shore;

Rest, rest at the heart's core

Till time shall cease:

Sleep that no pain shall wake;

Night that no morn shall break

Till joy shall overtake

Her perfect peace.

7 comments:

Nevine Sultan said...

Christina Rossetti is one of my favorite Victorian poets. Thank you for sharing that!

GYPSYWOMAN said...

i love her work too - and it compliments a lot of the visual art i love as well - thanks for coming by -

GYPSYWOMAN said...

and who could resist such beautiful words...

The Watcher said...

Rosetti is so mystical.

My first reaction when I saw the image was how it reminded me of the local *lady* floating in the village pond in Laurie Lee's Cider With Rosie.

GYPSYWOMAN said...

oh, hello watcher - i'm so sorry to just now be getting back here - past few days or week just a blur of distractions - my apologies - but please please tell me about your local lady floating in the village pond!!!! you must - you simply must!!! oh, and i absolutely love rosetti - thanks so much for wandering over this way -

The Watcher said...

Hello Jenean.

You need to read this book about life in a small Cotswold Village before the coming of the motor car.
It as a fascinating account of how life centred around the Squire in the big Manor House and the seasons. Laurie Lee describes feuding grannies, his uncles, school life, colourful village characters and how his dotty mother waited for his absent father for a lifetime.
CIDER WITH ROSIE. by Laurie Lee

GYPSYWOMAN said...

thanks so much for the book info - i'll hop over to amazon now - sounds really fascinating - it's a beautiful day here in delaware - the sun is out - it's balmy - gorgeous - had thought about making my way down to the boardwalk but tourists are still hanging on during weekends as pretty as this so i decided to make it one day next week instead - hope you had a great weekend!