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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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