Twice by Christina Georgina Rossetti
A woman recalls offering her heart to a man, whose advice to wait leaves her heartbroken and seldom smiling. She offers her broken heart to God, asks for judgment, purification, and protection, and pledges all she has and is.
By Christina Georgina Rossetti · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Devotional Poetry, Love Poetry · 462 words
First lines
I took my heart in my hand / (O my love, O my love), / I said: Let me fall or stand, / Let me live or die, / But this once hear me speak / (O my love, O my love); / Yet a woman's words are weak: / You should speak, not I.
You took my heart in your hand / With a friendly smile, / With a critical eye you scanned, / Then set it down, / And said: It is still unripe, / Better wait awhile; / Wait while the skylarks pipe, / Till the corn grows brown.
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — Six rhymed stanzas present a woman's intimate address first to a human beloved and then to God, repeating her offer of her heart.
- Devotional Poetry — The final three stanzas ask God to judge, refine, and securely hold the speaker's heart as she gives herself to Him.
- Love Poetry — The speaker recalls declaring her love, hearing the man's judgment that her heart is unripe, and losing her former pleasure in flowers and birdsong.
Tags
heartbreak · romantic disappointment · prayer · divine judgment · spiritual purification · self-offering
What this Textopian page supports
Twice 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: Lyric Poetry, Devotional Poetry, Love Poetry
- Length: 462 words
- Structure: 1 section, 6 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for Twice by Christina Georgina Rossetti
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
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