The Blessed Damozel

The Blessed Damozel

By Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Text Rhyme Line

The blessed damozel leaned out                                  A                                 01
       From the gold bar of Heaven;                              B
Her eyes were deeper than the depth                          C
       Of waters stilled at even;                                      B
She had three lilies in her hand,                                   D
       And the stars in her hair were seven.                    B
Her robe, ungirt[i] from clasp to hem,                          E
       No wrought flowers did adorn,                            F
But a white rose of Mary's gift,                                   G
       For service meetly[ii] worn;                                  F                                   10
Her hair that lay along her back                                   H
       Was yellow like ripe corn.                                   F
Herseemed[iii] she scarce had been a day                   I
       One of God's choristers;                                      J

The wonder was not yet quite gone                             K
       From that still look of hers;                                  J
Albeit, to them she left, her day                                   I
       Had counted as ten years.                                    J
(To one, it is ten years of years.                                  J
       . . . Yet now, and in this place,                             L                                 20
Surely she leaned o'er[iv] me — her hair                     M
       Fell all about my face. . . .                                    L
Nothing: the autumn-fall of leaves.                               N
       The whole year sets apace.)                                 L
It was the rampart of God's house                               O
       That she was standing on;                                    P
By God built over the sheer depth                               C
       The which is Space begun;                                   Q
So high, that looking downward thence                       R
       She scarce could see the sun.                               Q                                30
It lies in Heaven, across the flood                                S
       Of ether, as a bridge.                                           T
Beneath, the tides of day and night                              U
       With flame and darkness ridge                             T
The void, as low as where this earth                            V
       Spins like a fretful midge.                                     T

Around her, lovers, newly met                                    a
       'Mid deathless love's acclaims,                             b
Spoke evermore among themselves                            c
       Their heart-remembered names;                           b                                 40
And the souls mounting up to God                              d
       Went by her like thin flames.                                b
And still she bowed herself and stooped                      e
       Out of the circling charm;                                     f
Until her bosom must have made                                 g
       The bar she leaned on warm,                               f
And the lilies lay as if asleep                                        h
       Along her bended arm.                                        f
From the fixed place of Heaven she saw                     i
       Time like a pulse shake fierce                               j                                  50
Through all the worlds. Her gaze still strove                 k
       Within the gulf to pierce                                       j
Its path; and now she spoke as when                          l
       The stars sang in their spheres.                             j
The sun was gone now; the curled moon                     m
       Was like a little feather                                         n
Fluttering far down the gulf; and now                           o
       She spoke through the still weather.                     n

Her voice was like the voice of the stars                      p
       Had when they sang together.                              n                                  60
(Ah sweet! Even now, in that bird's song,                    q
       Strove not her accents there,                                r
Fain to be hearkened? When those bells                     s
       Possessed the mid-day air,                                  r
Strove not her steps to reach my side                          t
       Down all the echoing stair?)                                 r
'I wish that he were come to me,                                 u
       For he will come,' she said.                                  v
       Lord, Lord, has he not pray'd[v]?                        v
Are not two prayers a perfect strength?                       w                                 70
       And shall I feel afraid?                                         v
'When round his head the aureole clings,                     x
       And he is clothed in white,                                   z
I'll take his hand and go with him                                 xx
       To the deep wells of light;                                    z
As unto a stream we will step down,                           xxx
       And bathe there in God's sight.                            z
'We two will stand beside that shrine,                          xxxx
       Occult, withheld, untrod[vi],                                 I*

Whose lamps are stirred continually                            II                                 80
       With prayer sent up to God;                                I*
And see our old prayers, granted, melt                        III
       Each like a little cloud.                                         I*
'We two will lie i'[vii] the shadow of                            IV
       That living mystic tree                                          V
Within whose secret growth the Dove                         VI
       Is sometimes felt to be,                                        V
While every leaf that His plumes touch                        VII
       Saith[viii] His Name audibly.                                V
'And I myself will teach to him,                                    VIII                             90
       I myself, lying so,                                                 IX
The songs I sing here; which his voice                         X
       Shall pause in, hushed and slow,                          IX
And find some knowledge at each pause,                    XI
       Or some new thing to know.'                               IX
(Alas! We two, we two, thou say'st[ix]!                     XII
       Yea, one wast[x] thou with me                            V
That once of old. But shall God lift                              XIII
       To endless unity                                                   XIV
       Was but its love for thee?)                                   V                                 100

'We two,' she said, 'will seek the groves                      i
       Where the lady Mary is,                                      ii
With her five handmaidens, whose names                    iii
       Are five sweet symphonies,                                  ii
Cecily, Gertrude, Magdalen,                                       iv
       Margaret and Rosalys.                                         ii
'Circlewise[xi] sit they, with bound locks                     v
       And foreheads garlanded;                                    vi
Into the fine cloth white like flame                                vii
       Weaving the golden thread,                                  vi                                 110
To fashion the birth-robes for them                             viii
       Who are just born, being dead.                            vi
'He shall fear, haply, and be dumb:                              ix
       Then will I lay my cheek                                      x
To his, and tell about our love,                                    xi
       Not once abashed or weak:                                 x
And the dear Mother will approve                              xii
       My pride, and let me speak.                                x
'Herself shall bring us, hand in hand,                            xiii
       To him round whom all souls                                xiv                               120
Kneel, the clear-ranged unnumbered heads                 xv
       Bowed with their aureoles:                                   xiv

And angels meeting us shall sing                                  xvi
       To their citherns[xii] and citoles.                           xiv
'There will I ask of Christ the Lord                              xvii
       Thus much for him and me: —                             xviii
Only to live as once on earth                                       xix
       With Love, — only to be,                                    xviii
As then awhile, for ever now                                       xx
       Together, I and he.'                                             xviii                              130
She gazed and listened and then said,                          xxi
       Less sad of speech than mild, —                          xxii
'All this is when he comes.' She ceased.                      xxiii
       The light thrilled towards her, fill'd[xiii]                 xxii
With angels in strong level flight.                                  xxiv
       Her eyes prayed, and she smil'd[xiv].                   xxii
(I saw her smile.) But soon their path                          xxv
       Was vague in distant spheres:                               xxvi
And then she cast her arms along                                xxvii
       The golden barriers,                                             xxvi                              140
And laid her face between her hands,                          xxviii
       And wept. (I heard her tears.)                              xxvi