The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-07-10
Story of q Buried Book of Poetry
BY BEN s. GROSS

When the average reader happens to glance over the volume of poems written by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, little does he dream of the story of tragedy and heart ache that lies behind that work. The reader is enchanted by the music of the lines, and his very soul is touched by the sombre and almost divine beauty of the thought yet in all that volume there is no emotion, no tragedy delineated that could even compare with the emotion felt and the tragedy experienced by the author himself.
 Dante Gabriel Rossetti, as is well known, was one of the founders of the pre- -Raphaeite school of painting in Eng land, and together with many famous artists of the day sought to demonstrate the good points of that school
 He was the son of an Italian father and an English mother, but instead of becom- ing heir to the traits of both Anglo Saxon and Latin, he merely inherited the char acterstics of the latter. Rossetti was a man of remarkable power, of great pas sion, with almost Byronic tendency to defy the rules of organized society. Early in his life he decided to become great painter, and lived almost in the manner of a recluse experimenting and
 improving himself In his beloved art until he achieved fame. Painting. however, was not the only talent that he possessed, for he also wrote poetry-poetry whose beauty and deepness of emotion has hard ly been surpassed in the history of En- gish literature.
 It was evident that this passionate and impetuous young man needed the guiding hand of loving woman and realizing this himself he longed night and day for mate who could meet the demands of his conception of ideal companion. His yearning was soon fulfilled, for during an early period of his young manhood, when fame had not yet crowned him with her laurels, through his friend Holman Hunt, famous artist, he met the maiden of his dreams.
 One summers afternoon while wander ing through the crowded streets of Lon don. Hunt chanced to see through an open window girl of peculiar beauty engaged in the reading of book. Such was the effect of the maiden upon Hunt that he Wpited until she came out of the house, aifd then after introducing him
 self, requested her to sit for him as model. The girl hestated at first but finally, after much persuasion, consented to do so.
 Of course, while posing for Hunt there was nothing more natural than that she should have met Rossetti, who, as soon as he laid his eyes upon her, was thrilled by that indescribable emotion which for lack of expression Is called love. Although Eleanor Siddal, as the girl
 was named, the daughter of a tradesman,
 was woman of but small education. still
 her greatness of soul her natural intui- tion her intensity of love. her spiritual
 as well as physical beauty, more than
 recompensed for that defect. To describe
 her would almost be an impossibility, for shA-&as of that type of perfect woman
 hood whose appearance defes all descrip- | ciated. However, 1t is not amiss to say that her figure was one of Grecian beauty her hair was of copper-brown, and in her
 eyes burned the fires of a mighty soul; her lips were full and almost sensuous,
 while her hands were delicately beauti-
 full in their softness and shape.
 l It seemed that 1t was destiny that
 brought the two young people together,
 for each one felt a peculiar satisfaction
 and content while in the presence of the
 other At last she became his model and | a little later, virtually his wife, although
 he was yet too poor to marry. So great
 was his passion for her that he made her
 face the central object in hundreds of
 sketches and paintings, the most famous
 of which is the picture "Beata Beatrix.' This portrait might well be called, not