Heart's Hope (corrected holograph copy, Bancroft Collection)Dante Gabriel Rossetti1Digital images courtesy of the Delaware Art Museum, Samuel and Mary R.
Bancroft Collection.Heart's HopeDante Gabriel Rossetti1871holograph pen and ink fair copyDGRDGRDelaware Art Museum, Bancroft CollectionBox 22
Commentary
Introduction
This is the earliest text of the sonnet, though the revisions are probably
from much later, some from as late as early 1881 when he was preparing to
include the sonnet in the
<hi rend="i">Ballads and Sonnets</hi>
.
Textual History: Composition
Textual History: Revision
Production History
Reception History
Iconographic
Printing History
Pictorial
Historical
Literary
Translation
Autobiographical
Bibliographic
to come first in the seriesDGR's note on the placement of the sonnetVYouth and ChangeNotation by unknown hand identifying the sonnetThe alternative readings for lines 12-13 are written by DGR at the foot of the
page.Heart's Hope (H of L)By what word's power, the key to paths untrod, Shall I the difficult deeps of thought pass o'erLove explore,AndTill parted waves of song yield up the shoreEven as that sea which Israel crossed dryshod?For lo! in some poor rhythmic period, Lady, I fain would tell how evermore Thy soul I know not from thy body, norThee from myself, neither our love from God.Yea, in God's name, and Love's, and thine, would I Draw from one loving heart such evidenceAs to all hearts all things shall signify; Tender as dawn's first foot-firefirst hill-fire, and intenseLike fires by dawn restored, we know not whence, As instantaneous penetrating sense,Or etc etc ——In Spring's first hourbirth-hour, of other Springs gone by.