The House of Life: 71. The Choice, I

Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1828 (London) – 1882 (Birchington-on-Sea)



Eat thou and drink; to-morrow thou shalt die.
        Surely the earth, that's wise being very old,
        Needs not our help. Then loose me, love, and hold
    Thy sultry hair up from my face; that I
    May pour for thee this golden wine, brim-high,
        Till round the glass thy fingers glow like gold.
        We'll drown all hours: thy song, while hours are toll'd,
    Shall leap, as fountains veil the changing sky.

    Now kiss, and think that there are really those,
      My own high-bosom'd beauty, who increase
          Vain gold, vain lore, and yet might choose our way!
          Through many years they toil; then on a day
      They die not,--for their life was death,--but cease;
  And round their narrow lips the mould falls close.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

38 sec read
57

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBAABBA XCDDCX
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 749
Words 125
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 6

Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Dante Gabriel Rossetti was an English poet, illustrator, painter and translator. more…

All Dante Gabriel Rossetti poems | Dante Gabriel Rossetti Books

1 fan

Discuss the poem The House of Life: 71. The Choice, I with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The House of Life: 71. The Choice, I" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/7736/the-house-of-life:-71.-the-choice,-i>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    8
    hours
    23
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    A poem consisting of 14 lines, typically with a specific rhyme scheme, is called a _______.
    A sonnet
    B haiku
    C epic
    D limerick