Poems. A New Edition (1881), proof Signature A (Delaware Museum, first revise proof, copy 2) Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1 Text courtesy of The Delaware Art Museum Poems. A New Edition Dante Gabriel Rossetti F. S. Ellis Strangeways and Walden London 1881 May 25 (circa) proof [v] - [xii] 1 DGR Library, Delaware Art Museum 10 point; 6 point leading roman 22 2 cm 3.8 cm 2 cm 2.5 cm 19 x 12.8cm (crown octavo) Commentary
Introduction

This is a partial copy (and the author's copy) of the first revise proof for the front matter of DGR's 1881 <hi rend="i">Poems. A New Edition</hi> . It was probably printed off in June 1881.

Textual History: Composition

Textual History: Revision

DGR revised the initial proofs for the front matter for this book twice, and the library of the Delaware Art Museum preserves six partial sets of earlier proofs for this signature where one can track DGR's successive acts of revision. In addition to the complete final proof, the library has a corrected copy of pages i-iv plus an uncorrected revise for those pages; two copies (both partial) of the first author's proof, copy 1, copy 2; and two partial copies of the first revise, this copy and copy 1, both also with revisions. The Princeton Library has two further fragmentary proofs for ths signature, both corrected pages for the revise proof: copy 1 and copy 2.

Printing History

Reception History

Historical

Literary

Translation

Autobiographical

Bibliographic

In the corner like this & in italics between brackets. DGR's note to the printer specifying format of the final line of the dedication.

TO WILLIAM MICHAEL ROSSETTI, THESE POEMS, TO SO MANY OF WHICH, SO MANY YEARS BACK, HE GAVE THE FIRST BROTHERLY HEARING, ARE NOW AT LAST DEDICATED. 1870-1881. (1870-1881)

blank page <hi rend="c">ADVERTISEMENT</hi>. ————

The Sonnets of the <hi rend="i">House of Life</hi> which first appeared in this volume as published in 1870, are now embodied with the full series in the volumeentitled ‘Ballads and Sonnets.’

The fragment of The Bride's Prelude, now first printed, was written very early, and takes a place here with other work of the same date; though its publication in an unfinished state needs some indulgence.

 blank page <hi rend="c">CONTENTS</hi>. —|-*-|— POEMS. THE BLESSED DAMOZEL . . . . . . . . . . 3 SISTER HELEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 STRATTON WATER . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 THE STAFF AND SCRIP . . . . . . . . . .34 AVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 DANTE AT VERONA . . . . . . . . . . . .51 TROY TOWN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 EDEN BOWER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 THE CARD-DEALER . . . . . . . . . . . .92 LOVE'S NOCTURN . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 THE STREAM'S SECRET . . . . . . . . . 103 JENNY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 THE PORTRAIT . . . . . . . . . . . . .133 MY SISTER'S SLEEP . . . . . . . . . . 138 DOWN STREAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 A LAST CONFESSION . . . . . . . . . . 144 THE BURDEN OF NINEVEH . . . . . . . . 170 WELLINGTON'S FUNERAL . . . . . . . . .180 AN OLD SONG ENDED . . . . . . . . . . 184 WORLD'S WORTH . . . . . . . . . . . . 185 ASPECTA MEDUSA . . . . . . . . . . . .187 THE BRIDE'S PRELUDE . . . . . . . . . 188 LYRICS. LOVE-LILY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237 FIRST LOVE REMEMBERED . . . . . . . . 239 PLIGHTED PROMISE . . . . . . . . . . .240 SUDDEN LIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . .242 A LITTLE WHILE . . . . . . . . . . . .243 THE SONG OF THE BOWER . . . . . . . . 245 PENUMBRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .247 A NEW-YEAR'S BURDEN . . . . . . . . . 249 EVEN SO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 THE WOODSPURGE . . . . . . . . . . . .251 THE HONEYSUCKLE . . . . . . . . . . . 252 A YOUNG FIR-WOOD . . . . . . . . . . .253 THE SEA-LIMITS . . . . . . . . . . . .254 —————— SONNETS. FOR ‘OUR LADY OF THE ROCKS’ BY LEONARDO DA VINCI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259 FOR A VENETIAN PASTORAL BY GIORGIONE . . 260 FOR AN ALLEGORICAL DANCE OF WOMEN BY ANDREA MANTEGNA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .261 FOR ‘RUGGIERO AND ANGELICA’ BY INGRES . 262-3 FOR ‘THE WINE OF CIRCE’ BY EDWARD BURNE JONES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264 MARY'S GIRLHOOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265 THE PASSOVER IN THE HOLY FAMILY . . . . . 266 MARY MAGDALENE AT THE DOOR OF SIMON THE PHARISEE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 CASSANDRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .268-9 VENUS VERTICORDIA . . . . . . . . . . . .270 SIBYLLA PALMIFERA . . . . . . . . . . . .271 PANDORA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .272 ON REFUSAL OF AID BETWEEN NATIONS . . . .273 ON THE <foreign lang="italian">‘VITA NUOVA’</foreign> OF DANTE . . . . . 274 DANTIS TENEBRĘ . . . . . . . . . . . . .275 FILII FILIA. . . . . . . . . . .276-7 BEAUTY AND THE BIRD . . . . . . . . . . .278 A MATCH WITH THE MOON . . . . . . . . . .279 —————— TRANSLATIONS. THE BALLAD OF DEAD LADIES (VILLON) . . . . 283-4 TO DEATH, OF HIS LADY (VILLON) . . . . . . 285 HIS MOTHER'S SERVICE TO OUR LADY (VILLON) .286-7 JOHN OF TOURS (OLD FRENCH) . . . . . . . . 288 MY FATHER'S CLOSE (OLD FRENCH) . . . . . . 290 BEAUTY (SAPPHO) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .292 YOUTH AND LORDSHIP (ITALIAN STREET-SONG) . 293 THE LEAF (LEON PARDI) . . . . . . . . . . . .296 FRANCESCA DA RIMINI (DANTE) . . . . . . . .297 blank page