The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-03-31
THE %ROssETTIs.

khe La Va
born in 1927. The next child was the IA
nous founder ard inspirer OF the Pre-
Raphaelite Brotherhood. Dante Gabriel Kos
setti. William Michael Rossetti. the poe
and critic and editor Of the works OF his
more famous brother and sister. was a
third child. Christina Georgina. the young
est child. was born in 1890.
Two Of these Rossettis. this amily oil
italian and English blood. have had a marked
influence upon English letters. Dante Ga
briel. painter and poet. and that best OF
English-writing women poets. Christina. AT
their fathers house In London the young
Rossettis met the poets, scholars. and pa
triots of their time. Their father was ar
exile from Italy. and their mother a sister
Of the famous Doctor POlidori, who was
Byron's physician.
With the mention Of the name OF Dante
Gabriel Rossetti the thought Of that asso-
citation of men. almost youths. the Pre-Ha-
phaelite Brotherhood, Is uppermost. One OF
the most significant and influential move
ments In the Nineteenth Century art, Its
beginning was mainly due to the vivid per
sonality, magnetism. and high idealism OF
young Rossetti. at that time aged ~. II
was established in the autumn of lS4s. and
a goodly company Of young artists formed
| the brotherhood. Holman Hunt, Sir John
Millais, Thomas Woolner. Ford Maddox
Brown. and Dante Gabriel Rossetti were
the forming forces. They united with the
| object of making a closer study OF nature.
| and protesting against academic dogma and
custom. Devotion to the simplicity OF nature
| was a religion to them. The principle was
to be applied to writing. as well as 10
| painting. Rossetti was the foremost writer
| Of the brotherhood. and he is as well known
by his poems as by his paintings.
THE GERM the magazine conducted by
and for the Pre-Raphaelites. was started
in 1850. and only four numbers were pub
/ lished. William Michael Rossetti was the
| editor of this journal. 1t contained
Thoughts Towards Nature in Poetry. Lit
erature and Art" A reprint Of this maya
zine is now in the Mercantile Library OF
this city.
Ruskin earnestly advocated the Brother
hood, and there was merry war In artistic
and literary England In the fffties over
these daring young men who dared to defy
the accustomed standards Of art and set up
one of their own. and successfully. too.
The influence of the Brotherhood has not
yet passed, though its distinctive form Is a
memory
Rossettfs best-known poems are 1.-THE
Blessed Damozel,' my Sisters Sleep"
Jenny and the series Of 100 sonnets called
1.-The House Of Life"
The romance of his life is a pathetic one.
Mr.. Ford Maddox Brown became ac-
quainted with Miss Elizabeth Eleanor Sid
dali. and was SO struck with her beauty
Of face and form that he persuaded her to
sit to him. Rossetti admired her extrava-
gantly. and undertook to develop her apti-
tude for art. with much success. They had
been the warmest of friends. and they be-
came lovers. though their engagement was
for years a secret. She was frail in health
and he was poor in purse. 1t was 1860 that
they were married, nearly ten years after
their first meeting. She lived but a short
time. dying of consumption.
Rossetti buried his poems with her. Their
entombment had an effect on which the
writer had not calculated. A number Of
them had already been published. but
others were retained in the recollection Of
his friends. The poems were the subject
of much anxiety and discussion In subse-
quent years. Seven years after the burial
of the beautiful Lizzie" Rossetti con-
sented. after much urging. that the book of
verses be exhumed. 1t was Of his wife that
1SOSSelll WEOtc Ill These ines
I gaze until she seems to stir,
Until mine eyes a most aver
To breathe the words Of the sweet heart
And yet the earth Is over her.
Rossetti was tenderly devoted to his
mother, and she was his most priced critic.
His death, in 1882, left her still in the care
of her beloved Christina. Rossetti has
been called "the most interesting person.
ality that followed art"
Here Is one of his songs called "a Little
While:
A little while a little love
The hour yet bears for thee and me
Who have not drawn the veil to see
II still our heaven be lit above.
Thou merely. at the days last sigh.
Hast felt thy soul prolonG the tone:
And I have heard the night-wind cry
And deemed Its speech mine own.
A little while a little love
The scattering autumn boards for US
Whose bower Is not yet ruinous
Nor quite unleavened our sonsless grove.
Only across the shaken boughs
We hear the fiood-tides seek the sea,
And deep In both our hearts they rouse
One wall for thee and me. |
Here are some lines from 1.-THE Blessed
Damozel":
The blessed damozel leaned out
From the gold bar Of heaven:
Her eyes were deeper than the depth
OF waters stilled at even:
she haQ tnfee uIueS III { Hduu' L
And the stars in her hair were seven.
She gazed and listened and then said.
Lees sad of speech than mild /
-.All this is when he comes" She ceased. |
The light thrilled towards her. flrd
With angels in strong level flight.
Her eyes prayed. and she smifd.
q saw her SMILEY But soon their path
Was vague In distant spheres:
And then she cast her arms along |
The golden barriers,
And laid her face between her hands.
And wept, Il heard Ter tears.)
Christina Rossetti, the INSPIRED author
the Goblin Market" led a quiet. Sc
cluded life, touched by delicate health. She
was beautiful in her youth, but disease
bereft her of her fairness. She survived
her gifted brother, Dante Gabriel, dying In
1894. Hers was a strong nature, held In
stern self-control. Her source Of pleasure
and her choicest means Of expression lay IN
her poems. She lived, for the greater part
her life, with her mother in London. and
ner two maiden aunts, the Misses Polidori,
lived with them. Their home vas a shrine
% which the literary and artistic talent OK
came. William Morris. Swinburne.
he Brownings, Ruskin and many others
of marriage because OF her delicate
Icruples about religious differences.
Here is one of her ~best-known songs:
When I am dead, my dearest.
Sing no sad songs for me;
Plant thou no roses at my head.
Nor shady cypress tree.
Be the green grass above me.
With showers and dewdropps wet;
And, IL thou wilt. remsmbsr:
And. IL thou wilt. forget.
I shall not see the shadows.