Sound Sleep by Christina Georgina Rossetti
A woman rests in her grave beside ripe cornfields, surrounded by flowers, birdsong, and winds carrying distant church bells. The speaker describes her struggle as ended and her soul as absolved and at rest until her grave-bands are broken.
By Christina Georgina Rossetti · Genre: Elegiac Poetry, Religious Poetry, Nature Poetry · 211 words
First lines
Some are laughing, some are weeping; / She is sleeping, only sleeping. / Round her rest wild flowers are creeping; / There the wind is heaping, heaping / Sweetest sweets of Summer's keeping, / By the cornfields ripe for reaping.
There are lilies, and there blushes / The deep rose, and there the thrushes / Sing till latest sunlight flushes / In the west; a fresh wind brushes / Through the leaves while evening hushes.
There by day the lark is singing / And the grass and weeds are springing: / There by night the bat is winging; / There forever winds are bringing / Far-off chimes of church-bells ringing.
Genres
- Elegiac Poetry — The verses describe a woman's grave and present her death as rest after an ended struggle.
- Religious Poetry — Church bells fill her dreams with Heaven, and her soul rests absolved until her grave-bands are broken.
- Nature Poetry — Wildflowers, ripe cornfields, roses, lilies, birds, bats, and wind surround the resting woman through day and night.
Tags
death · rest · summer flowers · birdsong · church bells · Heaven · absolution
What this Textopian page supports
Sound Sleep 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: Elegiac Poetry, Religious Poetry, Nature Poetry
- Length: 211 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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- Work identity for Sound Sleep by Christina Georgina Rossetti
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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