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Rossetti Archive Textual Transcription

Document Title: Through Death to Love (Delaware early draft manuscript)
Author: Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Date of Composition: 1871
Type of Manuscript: draft manuscript
Scribe: DGR

The full Rossetti Archive record for this transcribed document is available.

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more about Through Death to Love
Through Death to Love.
  • The AsLike labour-laden heights where the clouds moon-clouds swift fain to flee,—
  • The AsLike winds that sweep the winter-bitten wold,—
  • The AsLike multiform melifluence circumfluence manifold
  • Of the stark night,— the as like terrors that agree
  • In fire dumb-tongued & inarticulate sea,—
    • Deleted Text
  • Seen in mans earth's mirror
  • Are, as man's mirror, dimmed with passing breath,
  • Are even as present portraitures of death
  • That shows him toward his face the wings of death,
  • 10On time's dark mirror dimmed with passing breath,
  • Shadows & shoals that edge eternity
    • Added Text
  • So to our hearts eyes some glass dimmed with by our breath
  • Teems evermore with images of death,
  • Shadows & shoals that edge eternity
  • Howbeit athwart Death's imminent shade doth soar
  • One Power, than flow of stream, or than flight of dove,
  • Sweeter to glide around & or brood above.
  • Tell me, my heart,—what angel-greeted door
  • Or threshold of wing-winnowed threshing-floor
  • 20Hath guest fire-fledged as thine, whose guest is Love?
  • as are the feet of Love?
Note: Varient ending for the last line written just below it.
Electronic Archive Edition:
Source File: 22-1871.delms.rad.xml