The Day-Dream Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1 Mark Samuels Lasner The Day-Dream DGR 1880 pencil draft one page verso blank except for inscription by F. G. Stephens DGR Mark Samuels Lasner The verso inscription reads: “Autographs of D. G. Rossetti, sent to me for use in articles I wrote for the Athenaeum. F. G. S.” Stephens is referring to the three manuscripts preserved in a folder with two others associated with pictures by DGR:a prose description of <hi rend="i">La Pia</hi> and a prose description of <hi rend="i">The Salutation of Beatrice</hi> , all three of which were sold as a single lot by Anderson Galleries in the William Harris Arnold sale. white wove, ruled, smooth finish J ALLEN & SONSSUPER FINE 8 7/8 X 7 1/16 in leaf torn from one of DGR's typical notebooks Commentary
Introduction

The manuscript seems to be an account of the picture that DGR wrote out for someone, perhaps for Constantine Ionides, who commissioned the painting in 1879. The manuscript obviously postdates the framing of the completed picture.

Textual History: Composition

Textual History: Revision

Production History

Reception History

Iconographic

Printing History

Pictorial

Historical

Literary

Translation

Autobiographical

Bibliographic

The Day-Dream

The following Sonnet is inscribed on theframe:-

 The thronged boughs of the shadowy sycamore Still fledge young leaflets half the summer through; From when the robin 'gainst the unhidden blue Perched dark, till now, deep in the leafy core, The embowered throstle's urgent wood-notes soar Through summer silence. Still the leaves come new; Yet never rosy-sheathed as those which drew Their spiral tongues from spring-buds heretofore. Within the branching shade of Reverie Dreams even may spring till autumn; yet none be Like woman's budding day-dream spirit-fann'd. Lo! tow'rd deep skies, not deeper than her look, She dreams; till now on the her forgotten book Drops the forgotten blossom from her hand.

This Subject is simply one of natural sublimity. The time of year is about April, some branches of the sycamore tree in which the lady is seated being still quite young in spring foliage while in places the leaves are already larger though with spring-buds also clinging here & there.