Included Text
- She hath it in her hand to give it thee,
- Yet almost in her heart would hold it back;
- She muses, with her eyes upon the track
- Of that which in thy spirit they can see.
- Haply, “Behold, he is at peace,” saith she:
- “Alas! the apple for his lips,—the dart
- That follows its brief sweetness to his heart—
- The wandering of his feet perpetually!”
- A little space her glance is still and coy;
- But if she give the fruit that works her spell, 10
- Those eyes shall flame as for her Phrygian boy;
- Then shall her bird's strained throat the woe foretell,
- And her far seas moan as a single shell,
- And through her dark grove strike the light of Troy.
Note: DGR's sonnet is inscribed on a label hanging at upper right. This version of the sonnet varies from the original text. The
title is written on the balustrade in the lower center of the picture
Scholarly Commentary
Introduction
This is a finished study for the painting as DGR conceived it originally. The text of the sonnet—the text published in the Notes on the Royal Academy Exhibition in 1868—is inscribed within the picture on a label in the upper right. DGR removed this in the finished oil.
Production History
Begun in 1863, the picture was not completed until 1869.
Bibliography