The Lowest Room by Christina Georgina Rossetti
An elder sister recalls envying her younger sister and arguing with her over Homeric heroism, the worth of their lives, and Christ's teaching. Twenty years later, the younger sister has a loving husband and daughter, while the narrator lives alone. The narrator has learned to accept the lowest place, though life still burdens her, and hopes for the final revelation when many who are last will become first.
By Christina Georgina Rossetti · Genre: Narrative Poetry, Religious Poetry · 2,728 words
First lines
Like flowers sequestered from the sun / And wind of summer, day by day / I dwindled paler, whilst my hair / Showed the first tinge of grey.
"Oh, what is life, that we should live? / Or what is death, that we must die? / A bursting bubble is our life: / I also, what am I?"
Genres
- Narrative Poetry — Rhymed stanzas recount a conversation between sisters, a garden encounter, and their contrasting lives twenty years later.
- Religious Poetry — The younger sister appeals to Christ's teaching, and the narrator ends with gratitude for learned humility and hope in the final revelation.
Tags
sisters · envy · Homeric heroism · Christian faith · humility · solitude · Last Judgment
What this Textopian page supports
The Lowest Room 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, Religious Poetry
- Length: 2,728 words
- Structure: 1 section, 70 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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