To Rosamund by Edith Nesbit (1906)
The poem's speaker describes a beautiful and idyllic scene to Rosamund, portraying a garden filled with blossoming flowers, sweet air, and the promise of joy. However, the speaker reveals that they see beyond this façade, witnessing instead a desolate landscape of past hopes and melancholy, where their own dreams have been lost.
By Edith Nesbit · First published 1906 · Genre: Children's Literature, Fantasy, Adventure · 171 words
First lines
AND it is fair and very fair This maze of blossom and sweet air, This drift of orchard snows, This royal promise of the rose Wherein your young eyes see Such buds of scented joys to be.
A gay green garden, softly fanned By the blythe breeze that blows To speed your ship of dreams to the enchanted land.
But I -- beyond the budding screen Of green and red and white and green, Behind the radiant show Of things that cling and grow and glow I see the plains where lie The hopes of days gone by: Gray breadths of melancholy, crossed By winds that coldly blow From that cold sea wherein my argosy is lost.
What this Textopian page supports
To Rosamund is listed on Textopian as a poem by Edith Nesbit, dated 1906 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Edith Nesbit
- Date: 1906 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Children's Literature, Fantasy, Adventure
- Length: 171 words
- Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for To Rosamund by Edith Nesbit
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering To Rosamund?
- How does this poem by Edith Nesbit fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Children's Literature first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Children's Literature — The narrative is primarily aimed at young readers, with a simple and engaging plot, and themes of adventure and friendship.
- Fantasy — The story involves magical elements and fantastical settings, typical of the fantasy genre.
- Adventure — The plot involves a journey and a series of challenges, characteristic of adventure stories.
Tags
Romance · Fiction · Novel · Love Story · Victorian Era · English Literature · Classic · Literary Fiction · Tragic Love · Unrequited Love · Social Class · Society