The Ghost's Petition
After a night of waiting and weeping, a wife sees her husband Robin return as a cold shadow. He says her weeping prevents his rest among the dead and assures her that they are at peace. Though she longs to follow him, she promises to dry her tears for his sake.
By Christina Georgina Rossetti · Genre: Ballad, Narrative Poetry, Supernatural · 881 words
First lines
"There's a footstep coming: look out and see. " -- / "The leaves are falling, the wind is calling; / No one cometh across the lea. " --
"There's a footstep coming: O sister, look. " -- / "The ripple flashes, the white foam dashes; / No one cometh across the brook. " --
Genres
- Ballad — Rhymed three-line stanzas, repeated phrases and dialogue tell of a wife's vigil and her dead husband's return.
- Narrative Poetry — The verse follows the wife's night of waiting, Robin's appearance and their exchange ending with her promise to dry her tears.
- Supernatural — Robin appears behind a shut door and identifies himself as a shadow whose rest is disturbed by his wife's weeping.
Tags
ghosts · mourning · marriage · restless dead · ballad
What this Textopian page supports
The Ghost's Petition 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: Ballad, Narrative Poetry, Supernatural
- Length: 881 words
- Structure: 1 section, 25 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Ghost's Petition by Christina Georgina Rossetti
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- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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