Maiden-Song by Christina Georgina Rossetti
Meggan and May leave their sister Margaret at home and sing on the hillside, attracting a herdsman and a shepherd whose courtship they accept. Waiting at the garden gate that night, Margaret sings in answer to a nightingale, drawing her sisters home with their suitors and gathering people and animals around her. A king kneels before her and, when her song ends, claims her as his bride.
By Christina Georgina Rossetti · Genre: Narrative Poetry, Pastoral Poetry, Fantasy Poetry · 2,077 words
First lines
Long ago and long ago, / And long ago still, / There dwelt three merry maidens / Upon a distant hill. / One was tall Meggan, / And one was dainty May, / But one was fair Margaret, / More fair than I can say, / Long ago and long ago.
When Meggan plucked the thorny rose, / And when May pulled the brier, / Half the birds would swoop to see, / Half the beasts draw nigher; / Half the fishes of the streams / Would dart up to admire: / But when Margaret plucked a flag-flower, / Or poppy hot aflame, / All the beasts and all the birds / And all the fishes came / To her hand more soft than snow.
Genres
- Narrative Poetry — Rhymed stanzas follow three sisters through a day's separation, successive courtships, and reunion.
- Pastoral Poetry — Hillside singing attracts a herdsman and a shepherd, whose offers of love include their work, herds, and flocks.
- Fantasy Poetry — Margaret's singing summons birds from the sky, beasts across the earth, and fishes from the deep alongside human listeners.
Tags
singing · courtship · sisters · rural life · animals · royalty
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Maiden-Song is listed on Textopian as a poem by Christina Georgina Rossetti, dated Date unknown.
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- Work type: Poem
- Author: Christina Georgina Rossetti
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Narrative Poetry, Pastoral Poetry, Fantasy Poetry
- Length: 2,077 words
- Structure: 1 section, 21 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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