Sunday, November 18, 2007

..fair thou art as moonlight after Rain







Joy is but sorrow
While we know
It ends to-morrow---
Even so!
Joy with lifted veil
Shows a face as pale
As the fair changing moon so fair and frail.

Pain is but pleasure,
If we know
It heaps up treasure:---
Even so!
Turn, transfigured Pain,
Sweetheart, turn again, .
For fair Thou art as moonrise after Rain

Christina Rossetti

Christina Rossetti was born into an Italian/English family in London in 1830. Her book of poetry, "Goblin Market & Other Poems" was one of the first, great triumphs of the Pre-Raphaelite era. Christina led the cloistered, confined and sad life of many women of her day. If she were alive today we would hope she could dance with joy under the moon at times rather than only leave tears to water night blooming jasmine.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Christina Rossetti is a personal favorite of mine !! her poetry always seems to sink past skin, vein to marrow .... she strikes me at my core.

lovely, lovely poem and images.

xx
red

Maithri said...

This is so beautiful,

Thank you,

Love, M

xxxxx said...

What a wonderful tribute to a great poet and muse!!

Oh by the way, you might want to visit my blog today... But shush... I won't say more ;-)

goatman said...

I like the yin and yang of this poem. Propose opposite attributes then flip them. Very Zen!
I used inversion quite a bit while designing structural assemblies. I could try flipping to see if that would solve an interference problem or present a more appealing design.

Anonymous said...

I've always enjoyed Dante's paintings, but not caring much for the particulars of history, never knew he had a sister. What delicate artistry that she wrought such beauty from her suffering. What a find for me. Thank you.

Diane Dehler said...

goatman- your logic is astonishing in this context. :)What are structural assemblies? -Taking literary criticism to a new and original edge are we?

aDecker- I'm glad that you enjoyed this poem. It's wonderful to find others to share my favorite writing with even if they live far away.

goatman said...

ph,
I had only hoped to cross disciplines in my analogy--an attempt probably scarce in todays world of specificity and cloistering of knowledge.
I liked the poem though, thanks for that.

mystic rose said...

hmmm.. how beautiful is that that vision captured in the poem..