Christina rossetti poems uphill

Abstract

The Christina Rossetti poem “Up-Hill” (1862) is an exemplary poem of the Victorian era by one of the rare female poets of the time, including Emily Brontë, Elizabeth Browning, Katherine Tynan, and Alice Meynell. Rossetti, typical of the era and the Victorian genre, wrote allegories about faith and love. She came from a distinguished literary family. “Up-Hill” was one of her better-known works.

Up-Hill

Does the road wind up-hill all the way?

    Yes, to the very end.

Will the day’s journey take the whole long day?

    From morn to night, my friend.

But is there for the night a resting-place?

    A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.

May not the dark hide it from my face?

    You cannot miss that inn.

Shall I meet other wayfarers at night?

    Those who have gone before.

Then must I knock, or call when just in sight?

    They will not keep you standing at that door.

Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?

    Of labour you shall find the sum.

Will there be beds for me and all who seek?

    Yea, beds for all who come.

Christina Rossetti

Originally published in Macmillan’s, February 1861

Commentary: “Up-Hill”

Christina Rossetti (1830–1894) was a gifted poet from a gifted family. Her father was the Italian poet Gabriel Rossetti, who emigrated as a political exile to England before Christina’s birth. He was the chair of Italian Language at the newly opened King’s College, London.

The youngest of four children who were steeped in an academic environment, Christina was home schooled. She led a quiet life due to frequent bouts of strange illnesses, which may have been emotionally driven. She was engaged to one of the pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood painters, James Collinson, but did not marry him. The pre-Raphaelites were a band of English 19th century artists, poets, and writers who sought to emulate the simplicity and sincerity of the work of Italian artists before Raphael’s work.

Ultimately, Christina became one of the most resp

Up-Hill
Does the road wind up-hill all the way?
Yes, to the very end.
Will the day’s journey take the whole long day?
From morn to night, my friend.

But is there for the night a resting-place?
A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.
May not the darkness hide it from my face?
You cannot miss that inn.

Shall I meet other wayfarers at night?
Those who have gone before.
Then must I knock, or call when just in sight?
They will not keep you standing at that door.

Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?
Of labour you shall find the sum.
Will there be beds for me and all who seek?
Yea, beds for all who come.

Christina Rossetti (Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008)

Before you read look up these words in your dictionary – roof, inn, wayfarer, knock, weak

How many people are “speaking” in the poem? Who are they?

Describe the conversation your own words. DO NOT quote directly from the poem. Fill in the blanks.
Yesterday I met someone who told me about……………….
He said the journey would be ……………………………..
He said we could stay at …………………… and it would be……………………………………
I asked if I would be alone on the journey and was told …………………………………

Could this poem be a metaphor? For what?

What is the meaning of the reply to the question “Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?“) (See * below for a suggestion)

How many words can you think of about hills and mountains? Write them in your notebook. Make the page look like a mountain, with all the words climbing up the page to the word “peak” at the top!!

Writing your own poem

Choose a geographical topic. (Possibilities could be the sea ; dark places such

By Christina Rossetti

Does the road wind up-hill all the way?
   Yes, to the very end.
Will the day’s journey take the whole long day?
   From morn to night, my friend.

But is there for the night a resting-place?
   A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.
May not the darkness hide it from my face?
   You cannot miss that inn.

Shall I meet other wayfarers at night?
   Those who have gone before.
Then must I knock, or call when just in sight?
   They will not keep you standing at that door.

Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?
   Of labour you shall find the sum.
Will there be beds for me and all who seek?
   Yea, beds for all who come.

Poet Bio

Christina Rossetti was born in London to an artistic family — her brother was the famous poet and painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti and her house was a regular meeting place for the group of artists later called the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. As a devout Anglican, Rossetti called off a two-year engagement when her fiancé converted to Roman Catholicism. Despite a lifetime of illness, Rossetti continued to write poetry. Today she is best known for her collection Goblin Market and Other Poems. See More By This Poet

More By This Poet