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Rossetti Archive Textual Transcription

Document Title: Heart's Compass
Author: Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Date of Composition: 1871
Type of Manuscript: draft manuscript

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

Image of page [1] page: [1]
Note: The appearance of the title suggests a three-stage revision. DGR originally composed the title as “Beauty's Compass.” He then struck out “Beauty's” and wrote “Love's” above as a replacement. He next thought to change “Compass” to “Sonnet”, going so far as to write in the latter above the former. Finally, he decided to keep “Compass” and struck out “Sonnet”.
Manuscript Addition: 42
Editorial Description: Numbering in upper right hand corner, not by DGR
more about Heart's Compass
Love's Secret

Beauty's Compass (H. of L.)
  • Sometimes you thou seems't not as yourself thyself alone,
  • But as the meaning of all things that are;
  • A breathless wonder, shadowing forth afar
  • Some heavenly solstice hushed & halcyon;
  • Whose still unstirred lips are music's visible z tone;
  • Whose eyes the silence/day-gate sun-gate of the soul unbar,
  • Being made of with of the its furthest fires oracular;—
  • The evident heart of all things life sown & mown.
  • Is Love not these Even such love is; and is not thy name Love?
  • 10Yea, by thy hand the Love-god rends apart
  • All gathering clouds of n Night's ambiguous art;
  • Flings them far down, & sets thine eyes above;
  • And simply, as some gage of flower or glove,
  • Stakes with a smile the world against thy heart.
Electronic Archive Edition: 1
Source File: 12-1871.blms.rad.xml
Copyright: By permission of the British Library