Songs in a Cornfield
Reapers work and rest in a summer cornfield while Marian grieves for her absent sweetheart. May, Rachel and Lettice sing a warning against false love, and Rachel sings of a swallow they cannot follow. Marian then sings to a sleeper beyond waking; the closing lines warn that her sweetheart may return too late to find her.
By Christina Georgina Rossetti · Genre: Narrative Poetry, Pastoral Poetry, Elegiac Poetry · 1,000 words
First lines
A song in a cornfield / Where corn begins to fall, / Where reapers are reaping, / Reaping one, reaping all. / Sing pretty Lettice, / Sing Rachel, sing May; / Only Marian cannot sing / While her sweetheart's away.
Where is he gone to / And why does he stay? / He came across the green sea / But for a day, / Across the deep green sea / To help with the hay. / His hair was curly yellow / And his eyes were gray, / He laughed a merry laugh / And said a sweet say. / Where is he gone to / That he comes not home? / To-day or to-morrow / He surely will come. / Let him haste to joy / Lest he lag for sorrow, / For one weeps to-day / Who'll not weep to-morrow:
Genres
- Narrative Poetry — Verse follows the reapers through work, a midday pause and successive songs, ending with conditional warnings about the sweetheart's return.
- Pastoral Poetry — Reaping, gathered wheat, summer heat and animals seeking shade establish the rural setting for the workers' songs.
- Elegiac Poetry — Marian's song addresses an unwaking sleeper beneath the ground and speaks of those who sob and ache for that sleeper.
Tags
harvest · reaping · absent sweetheart · false love · lament · summer
What this Textopian page supports
Songs in a Cornfield 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, Pastoral Poetry, Elegiac Poetry
- Length: 1,000 words
- Structure: 1 section, 16 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Songs in a Cornfield by Christina Georgina Rossetti
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph