The Hour and the Ghost
A bride begs her bridegroom to hold her while a ghost who once wooed her invokes their old vows and calls her away. The bridegroom dismisses her terrors, while she asks him to keep his faith and suggests she may return. The ghost predicts that she will return to watch the bridegroom's love grow cold and another woman take her place.
By Christina Georgina Rossetti · Genre: Dramatic Poetry, Gothic Poetry · 595 words
First lines
Bride.
O love, love, hold me fast, -- / He draws me away from thee; / I cannot stem the blast, / Nor the cold strong sea: / Far away a light shines / Beyond the hills and pines; / It is lit for me.
Genres
- Dramatic Poetry — Rhymed speeches alternate among a bride, a bridegroom and a ghost, presenting their conflicting appeals directly.
- Gothic Poetry — A ghost invokes old marriage vows, demands the bride's departure and predicts a tormenting return to witness her replacement.
Tags
ghosts · marriage vows · fidelity · fear of death · supernatural summons
What this Textopian page supports
The Hour and the Ghost 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: Dramatic Poetry, Gothic Poetry
- Length: 595 words
- Structure: 1 section, 18 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Hour and the Ghost by Christina Georgina Rossetti
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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