Selected Poems and Translations: Dante Gabriel Rossetti (Paperback)

~ (Author), (Translator) "A Sonnet is a moment's monument,- Memorial from the Soul's eternity..." (more)
Key Phrases: Sister Helen, Mary Mother, Mary Motlier

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Product Description

For critics like John Ruskin and Walter Pater, Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1892) was one of the great creative figures of the day, a painter and a poet of major stature. Yeats and young Pound regarded him as an exemplary figure of solitary dedication to art and beauty.

About the Author

Dante Gabriel Rossetti was a central figure in 19th-century art circles. He is the translator of The Early Italian Poets and the author of Poems and Ballads and Sonnets. Clive Wilmer teaches English at Cambridge University, where he is a Bye-Fellow of Fitzwilliam College, a fellow-commoner of Sidney Sussex College, and an honorary fellow of Anglia Polytechnic University. He is the author of The Falls, The Mystery of Things, and Selected Poems.

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Carcanet Press Ltd. (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0856359157
• ISBN-13: 978-0856359156
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,999,540 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Many of Rossetti's best, January 1, 2005

By	E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Selected Poems (Paperback)

Dante Gabriel Rossetti is perhaps the most famous of the pre-Raphaelite artists, a poet and painter of unusual skill. "Selected Poems" brings together quite a few of his best poems, including some of his more famous poems, but also more obscure ones.

It includes his best known ones such as "The Blessed Damozel" ("Her robe, ungirt from clasp to hem,/No wrought flowers did adorn,/But a white rose of Mary's gift,/For service meetly worn"), but also lesser-known ones like the charming "Woodspurge," the haunting balladic "Sister Helen," and the lush, sensuous "Card-Dealer" ("Into the silence languidly/As a tune into a tune,/Those eyes unravel the coil'd night/And know the stars at noon.")

If one thing shines through in this collection, it is Rossetti's love of beauty and his rich use of language. The pre-Raphaelite movement was created to advance the styles of Renaissance Italy, and Rossetti was among the most successful. His writing style is on best display here, in all its forms.

Clive Wilmer makes several good choices for the poems involved, showcasing all of the styles that Rossetti did best. Some are like songs, some are sonnets, and some simply straightforward rhyming poems. So the focus is on pure poetry that has aged the best, not on the style of the Victorian era.

Rossetti's style is ornate and a bit old-sounding ("Thou seest the card that falls; -- she knows/The card that followeth"), and is overwhelmed with references to nature -- plants, wind, hills, diamonds and "smooth polish'd silent things." And, of course, beautiful women with shadowy eyes and golden hair.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti's poetry is well-chosen in Clive Wilmer's collection, and a good introduction to his writings. Lush, rich and lastingly beautiful.