Introduction
This collection was put together by the Bodleian Library from the loose manuscripts received by the library from a bequest of May Morris, daughter of Jane Morris, who had them originally from DGR. The bequest included the blue leather notebook that DGR also gave to Mrs. Morris as a gift in 1874, the so-called
“Kelscott Love Sonnets”
.
The collection contains seventeen works plus DGR's transcript of the Italian original for his translation from Leopardi, plus a corrected version of the sestet of
“True Woman II”
, which is included in the letter to Jane Morris that is also part of the collection.
The collection includes the following works, in this order:
“Introductory Sonnet”
(here titled “The Sonnet”);
“Death-in-Love”
(here titled “May 1869”);
“Winter”
;
“Hero's Lamp”
;
“John Keats”
;
“Gracious Moonlight”
;
“During Music”
;
“Ardour and Memory” (here titled“Pleasure and Memory”)
;
“Transfigured Life”
;
“True Woman I.”
;
“True Woman II.”
;
“True WOman III.”
;
“Untimely Lost”
(here untitled);
“A Death-Parting”
(here titled “The Water Willow”);
“A Little While”
;
“La Feuille”
;
“The Leaf”
;
[Letter to Jane Morris, 18 Dec. 1880]
.