"Tread softly. All the earth is holy ground." ~ #ChristinaRossetti

Thank you 2024, Welcome 2025

Every Sunday, I head over to Dave’s place, “Dave Astor on Literature”, to meet up with friends and talk about books. Dave’s recent post “The Winter of Our Book Content”, discussed the theme “winter” in books.

Winter is a perfect topic for the end of December. But as I am wont to do, my comment response digressed. Rather than discussing books, I reflected on winter in terms of poetic words.

A couple of days ago, an e-mail landed in my inbox which featured Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “Snowflake-Flake” which happens to be one of my most favourite winter poem. I have goosebumps when I read the opening words:

Out of the bosom of the Air,
Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
Silent, and soft, and slow
Descends the snow.

Winter has long been a muse for poets, evoking imagery of snow-covered landscapes and the quiet beauty of the season. I think of Christina Rossetti and Robert Frost who beautifully capture the essence of winter in their works. Rossetti’s “In the Bleak Midwinter” reflects on the serene yet stark nature of the season, while Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” paints a vivid picture of a snowy evening’s tranquility. Poets seem to have an affinity with winter. I think of William Wordsworth with his poem “The Prelude” and John Keats’s poem” In drear nighted December”. Both poems offer a contemplative perspective on nature’s cycles.

Thank you, dear friends, for an amazing year of books, discussions and connections. I think of Robert Frost’s words as we say goodbye to 2024 and welcome 2025:

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,   
But I have promises to keep,   
And miles to go before I sleep,   
And miles to go before I sleep.

I look forward to the miles ahead!

Rebecca

#2025 #ChristinaRossetti #HenryWadsworthLongfellow #JohnKeats #NewYear #Poetry #RebeccaSReadingRoom #RobertFrost #WilliamWordsworth #Winter

Closing Time | In The Bleak Midwinter https://sargasso.nl/closing-time-in-the-bleak-midwinter/ #ChristinaRossetti #GustavHolst #Algemeen

While “In the Bleak Midwinter” is about the nativity, it’s setting is in the winter which doesn’t line up with the generally accepted time of Christ’s birth (springtime. Also, it rarely snows in Palestine, even less so in the spring??) and some have theorized that the use of “winter” is a metaphor but.. who knows what Rossetti was thinking
#SymSat #ChristinaRossetti #GustavHolst #ShekuKannehMason #IsataKannehMason

“In the Bleak Midwinter” is an 1872 poem by English Pre-Raphaelite poet Christina Rossetti (December 5, 1830 – December 29, 1894), who’s is mostly known for her devotional and children’s poetry.
#SymSat #ChristinaRossetti #GustavHolst #ShekuKannehMason #IsataKannehMason

Today is the birthday of #ChristinaRossetti, #JoanDidion & #HanifKureishi!

Isn't it striking that both Didion & Kureishi have a book called the black / white album, respectively?
If you prefer more colourful reads, here are our illustrated editions of Rossetti‘s "Goblin Market"

As I walk along the winding path through a wooded area, I am reminded of Christina Rossetti’s contemplative poem “Up-Hill.” The tranquil surroundings mirror the metaphorical journey of life depicted in the poem. Let me share with you my insights and reflections inspired by reciting this timeless work amidst the beauty of nature.

Christina Rossetti’s poem “Up-Hill” reflects on the journey of life using the metaphor of a traveler ascending a difficult road. The poem consists of a dialogue between the speaker and an unnamed interlocutor. This structure gives the poem a conversational tone, making the reader feel engaged in the questioning and answering.

The repetitive questioning in the first three stanzas, with the consistent answer of hardship and struggle, creates a sense of inevitability about life’s challenges. The poem’s structure emphasizes the enduring nature of these difficulties. Conversely, the poem concludes with a reassuring tone as the answers become more positive, suggesting that there is rest, companionship, and comfort at the end of life’s journey.

The imagery of the uphill road and the recurring questions about rest and companionship raises existential questions about the meaning of life and the afterlife. The poem also explores the universal themes of perseverance, faith, and the hope for solace in the face of life’s struggles.

https://vimeo.com/741522556

Up-Hill

by Christina Rossetti

Does the road wind up-hill all the way?
   Yes, to the very end.
Will the day’s journey take the whole long day?
   From morn to night, my friend.

But is there for the night a resting-place?
   A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.
May not the darkness hide it from my face?
   You cannot miss that inn.

Shall I meet other wayfarers at night?
   Those who have gone before.
Then must I knock, or call when just in sight?
   They will not keep you standing at that door.

Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?
   Of labour you shall find the sum.
Will there be beds for me and all who seek?
   Yea, beds for all who come.

My takeaways from reciting

Christina Rossetti’s “Up-Hill”

Reciting Christina Rossetti’s poem “Up-Hill” was a meditative experience for me. An uphill journey was a Christina’s metaphor for life’s challenges. Her poetic words encouraged me to meet adversity with perseverance. She prompted me to consider existential questions about the nature of life, the afterlife, and the enduring human quest for meaning.

As I recited the poem, I identified with the questions.  How long was the journey? Will there be a resting place at the end of day? Will I meet fellow travelers?  And, in the end, will I find comfort and welcome?

Christina Rossetti understood struggles, which included bouts of depression. Up-Hill accepts that the human experience includes difficult times, presenting us with steep inclines along the journey. And yet, by the end of the poem, there is a sense that every question is answered.  That every fear is removed.

I found that, although Christina Rossetti’s poetry belongs to a different time period, her introspective exploration of universal themes such as perseverance, faith, and the search for solace resonates with readers across different eras. In today’s fast-paced and often tumultuous world, her poem “Up-Hill” offers meaningful insights into the enduring human quest for meaning and comfort in the face of life’s challenges. The themes of rest, companionship, and assurance found at the end of life’s struggles are timeless and can provide reassurance to individuals navigating the complexities of modern reality.

Up-Hill by Christina Rossetti – Rebecca's Reading Room

Blog Break

Dear readers and followers,

I will be taking a break from October 4, to November 1, 2024. I will be scheduling new content during this time, although comments will be closed. I appreciate your continued support and look forward to connecting with you again upon my return.

Rebecca

https://rebeccasreadingroom.ca/2024/10/18/up-hill-by-christina-rossetti/

#ChristinaRossetti #PoetryInTheAfternoon #PoetryRecitation #UpHill #VictoriaPoetry

Christina Rossetti: 'Goblin Market' read by Shirley Henderson (Moaning Myrtle) & Felicity Jones (The Aeronauts)

#ChristinaRossetti #Poet #GoblinMarket #WeirdPoetry #ShirleyHenderson #PoemsForHalloween #FelicityJones #Poetry #Poem #Octobereen #TheUncanny #Literature #Art #Performance #Goblins #PoetryReading #Folklore #FolkTales #PreRaphaelite

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMnHW9MevJk

"Lie close," Laura said,
Pricking up her golden head:
"We must not look at goblin men.
We must not buy their fruits.
Who knows upon what soil they fed
Their hungry, thirsty roots?"
- Christina Rossetti, "Goblin Market"
🎨 Arthur Rackham

#BookWormSat #BookChatWeekly #31DaysofHaunting #literature #poetry #fantasy #mythology #folklore #fairy #goblin #ChristinaRossetti #ArthurRackham

🌈 "Eat me, drink me, love me;"

by @CitaPress

On a queer canon, with: "Goblin Market," a dual portrait (Gluck), a dual reading (Audre Lorde/Pat Parker)...

#Stonewall #Gluck #ChristinaRossetti #queerhistory #feministart #feministliterature #LGBTQ

https://citapress.substack.com/p/eat-me-drink-me-love-me?publication_id=1635733&post_id=145997871

When I am dead, my dearest,
Sing no sad songs for me;
Plant thou no roses at my head,
Nor shady cypress tree:
Be the green grass above me
With showers and dewdrops wet;
And if thou wilt, remember,
And if thou wilt, forget.

#ChristinaRossetti (1862) #poetry #poem

📚 #VendrediLecture

Laura, Lizzie et les Hommes-Gobelins, aux éditions "la ville brûle"

Coup de cœur pour ce magnifique petit livre à la couverture en toile rouge et or, offert par une amie chère 🥰 qui l’a fait dédicacer.

Une traduction libre et envoûtante du poème de Christina Rossetti, "Goblin Market", par Clémentine Beauvais, et mise en valeur par les illustrations Diglee.

Elle offre une interprétation féministe de ce poème victorien sur l’initiation à la sensualité et la confrontation à la violence.

#ChristinaRossetti #GoblinMarket #poésie #ClémentineBeauvais #traduction #Diglee #LaVilleBrûle #féminisme #sororité

Come to me in the silence of the night;
Come in the speaking silence of a dream;
Come with soft rounded cheeks and eyes as bright
As sunlight on a stream;
Come back in tears,
O memory, hope, love of finished years.

#ChristinaRossetti (1862) #poetry #poem

Un 29 de diciembre muere en Londres,
🪶#ChristinaRossetti (1830-1894)
Narradora y posiblemente la poeta británica más popular de su época.
Después, pasó años de olvido,
resurgiendo con fuerza a finales del XX,
aunque ahora, por aquí, parece volver a estar bastante desatendida 😥

I just discovered that my maternal grandmother shared a birthday with Christina Rossetti!!
Both born on 5th December (Rossetti in 1830 and my grandmother in 1919), Rossetti lived in #Frome between March 1853 and April 1854 to help her mother run a school that was unsuccessful so they moved back to London.
It was lovely to find this out today. We were thinking about Nanny on her birthday just 2 days ago!
Sources: discoverfrome.co.uk
, britannica.com
#ChristinaRossetti #Somerset #womenInPoetry

Born on this day:

Christina Rossetti, poet & sister to Pre-Raphaelite Dante Gabriel Rossetti, #OTD in1830.

Her 'Goblin Market and Other Poems' was published in 1862, establishing her reputation as a poet.

You can hear Goblin Market & other poems in our special episodes on Spotify and Youtube (links in bio)

#Educators : there are also teaching materials on our website.

Happy Birthday, Christina!

#birthdaygirl #preraphaelite #poetry #christinarossetti #audio #poetryreading #podcast

Great to see poets' drafts and manuscripts getting attention. Need to get a copy of this new book.

#publication #britishlibrary #literaryarchives #poetry #drafts #williamblake #TedHughes #charlottebronte #christinarossetti #Idontlinktotwitter

« In The Quiet Skies »

The fifth chapter of « Written In The Stars, » the track depicts a turning point in the course of events, wherein energies of the past are released, allowing a new beginning to unfold.

Originally released two years, minus one day, ago…

https://poligraf.bandcamp.com/track/in-the-quiet-skies

#Bandcamp
#music
#progressive
#rock
#memories
#november05
#november2021
#progressiverock
#progrock
#prog
#poetry
#poems
#EdgarAllanPoe
#christinarossetti
#edwardbulwerlytton
#tonepoems

§

"If you promised, you might grieve
For lost liberty again:
If I promised, I believe
I should fret to break the chain.
Let us be the friends we were,
Nothing more but nothing less:
Many thrive on frugal fare
Who would perish of excess."

#ChristinaRossetti (1861) #poetry #poem

Happy #Caturday!

Why not curl up with a little madness and magic as we visit Carroll & Christina for a selection of their poems and prose, on Spotify or Youtube

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6er7EbUwPDXTGw0rZaYHm8

https://youtube.com/watch?v=zcEiqNxmvSU&t=864s

#cats #literarycats #christinarossetti #lewiscarroll #poetry#victorian #victorianliterature #podcast #literarypodcast