Rossetti Archive Textual Transcription
Document Title: Pandora. A Picture. In mem. 11th Jan 1870
Author: Unknown
Date of Composition: 1870 January 23
Type of Manuscript: holograph fair copy
The full Rossetti Archive record for this transcribed document is available.
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- From the great city's ever-surging sea
- And multitudinous murmur forth we fared,
- My friend and I, and talking as we went
- Of this and that the trifles of the hour
- And with the hour forgotten, came at length
- Upon the river edged with aged elms,
- Where dwells the poet-painter; him we sought,
- And entering, hushed our idle breath, as one
- Who treads a solemn temple, for even here—
- 10Nor seldom—time hath kissed eternity,
- And lo! their brood immortal, demigods
- And nymphs, nor human all nor all divine,
- Large limbed, Olympian, of that elder day
- When great Hyperion, rising out of night
- Usurped the earth, and made a golden time.
- And chief among that goodly company,
- Fairest and first of women, dowered of gods,
- Pandora, giver of all evil and good,
- 20The sweet sweet bitter, bitter bitter sweet
- Of love unloved, and tenderest jealousy,
- And beauty, that the wise man and the fool
- Maddeneth alike and slayeth like a sword,
- And doubtful hope, that fades, and will not die,
- And phantom fear, that haunts, and hath no hope
- Wherewith to grapple, and will, that will not yield
- To stronger fate, and all the ancient strife
- That Venus fears, and wise Athena hates
- But not avails to heal. A woman wierd
- 30And wan, what wonder that thine ominous eyes
- Darken with dire misgiving. Lo! escaped,
- Nay, nay, too late to close the casket now—
- Into the air, that is the life of man,
- They melt accepted. Thou hast given a gift
- Nor thou nor all the gods can e'er recall.
23.1.70
Electronic Archive Edition: 1
Source File:
poem002.sangms.rad.xml
Copyright: Published with the permission of Iziko Museums of Cape Town