Brandons Both by Christina Georgina Rossetti
Milly Brandon, motherless and troubled by a secret sorrow, meets her cousin Walter on the terrace of her father's palace. As he prepares to leave, he refuses her offered rose because he cherishes another; she wishes his chosen rose well but declares that she will keep loving her own, even as a thorn.
By Christina Georgina Rossetti · Genre: Narrative Poetry, Love Poetry · 1,100 words
First lines
Oh fair Milly Brandon, a young maid, a fair maid! / All her curls are yellow and her eyes are blue, / And her cheeks were rosy red till a secret care made / Hollow whiteness of their brightness as a care will do.
Still she tends her flowers, but not as in the old days, / Still she sings her songs, but not the songs of old: / If now it be high Summer her days seem brief and cold days, / If now it be high Summer her nights are long and cold.
Genres
- Narrative Poetry — Rhymed four-line stanzas move from Milly's secret sorrow to her meeting and farewell exchange with Walter.
- Love Poetry — Milly's offered rose, Walter's preference for another, and her continued love for the thorn express unequal affection.
Tags
unrequited love · cousins · farewell · roses · maternal loss
What this Textopian page supports
Brandons Both is listed on Textopian as a poem by Christina Georgina Rossetti, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Christina Georgina Rossetti
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Narrative Poetry, Love Poetry
- Length: 1,100 words
- Structure: 1 section, 19 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for Brandons Both by Christina Georgina Rossetti
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