Fallen or Forbidden: Rosetti's "Goblin Market" Lesa Scholl MPhil '03, University of Queensland n "Goblin Market" (1859), Christina

Rossetti alludes to the traditional discourse of forbidden fruit and the biblical account of the Fall. She does so both to challenge the decidedly patriarchal perception of women within Victorian culture in terms of sexuality, education and the marketplace and also to reconstruct the Christian idea of redemption. This essay focuses primarily on the question of how female desire should be perceived, the answer depending on who or what forbids the consumption of the fruit: whether it is an immutable Divine Being, or merely the patriarchal society in which Rossetti lived. The ambiguity of the poem shows that Rossetti recognised that this issue was not easy to resolve within the cultural and ideological limitations of her society. Female sexuality and education were constantly, although paradoxically, linked in Rossetti's time, so it seems reasonable to assume that in "Goblin Market" she considers both issues. The forbidden fruit undoubtedly refers to female sexuality, as many critics have stated, yet it can also relate to female education and knowledge. After all, it was from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil that Eve ate. The issue for Rossetti is not wholly sexual or intellectual; rather the poem addresses all forms of female desire. This idea is reflected in Barbara Garlick's statement that within the PreRaphaelite movement "forbidden pleasures [were] clearly associated both with wild nature...and the secret delight of books" (109). Furthermore, Diane D'Amico points out that Eve ate the forbidden fruit in order to be like God, which is "prideful, not lustful" ("Eve, Mary and Mary Magdalene" 179), and also that in none of Rossetti's work is Eve represented as "an evil seductress" (178). On the whole, Rossetti steers away from equating female sexuality with sinfulness, which in itself is a radical move: sexual pleasure was forbidden to Victorian women, for as the passionless angels in the house, they were seen as "too pure and sacred to share in the disgusting lusts that afflicted men" (Karen Armstrong 6). At the same time, they were not to be given the same education as men because it was believed that too much intellectual activity would cause their reproductive organs to malfunction, securing the double bondage of sexuality and the intellect on women. It is interesting to note that it is Laura perhaps named after Petrarch's courtly ideal (Bentley 72) who becomes the fallen woman, partaking of the forbidden fruit. Karen Armstrong addresses the "angel" myth of woman being "an island of perfection in a dark world" by looking at the way Petrarch's Laura was affiliated with the Virgin Mary, contrasted with the negative connotations associated with Eve (81). Armstrong speaks of the subversive power of virginity, that defies the idea that a woman needs a man to be whole: "the virginity myth developed the image of the 'whole' female body, whose hymen remains unbroken and possessed the innocent 'integrity' or wholeness that Eve enjoyed before the Fall" (81). Marina Warner also speaks of the Catholic belief in Mary's eternal virginity: "Mary was virgo intacta post partum . . . by special privilege of God she, who was spared sex, was preserved also through childbirth in her full bodily integrity" (22). Yet, as Armstrong points out, the virginal ideal also

deprives women of their sexuality, an "important and essential part of their nature" (81). I feel that Rossetti attempts to reconcile these two concepts in "Goblin Market." When Laura eats the fruit, her appetite is insatiable: "I ate my fill,/Yet my mouth waters still" (165-66). Her craving for the fruit becomes like that of an addict, her inability to be satisfied causing her to be completely debilitated. She becomes "listless" (297), and unable to work because her hope of again eating the fruit is destroyed. Significantly, Rossetti blurs the distinction between the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and that from the Tree of Life. In the Genesis account of the Fall, after Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit, as part of their punishment they are not allowed access to the Tree of Life (Gen. 3:22). However, in Rossetti's poem, the fruit that Laura can no longer access is the same fruit that was originally forbidden to her. Furthermore, Laura's "salvation" is actually found in tasting again the juices of the forbidden fruits, although instead of giving her an insatiable appetite as they did the first time, they perform the role of a "fiery antidote" (599), seemingly giving her enough to innoculate her, but not enough to feed her addiction. Essentially, therefore, Laura's fruit of knowledge and her fruit of life are derived from the same source, obscuring the definition between purity and sin. This image is very different from the biblical view, for Christ said that "A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit" (Matt. 7:18), clearly enforcing a difference between the two "fruits." With this resolution, it does not seem possible that Rossetti sets up a straightforward dichotomy of abstention as good and consumption as sinful. It is more a picture of the hope deferred, to which she often refers in her poetry (Blake 2), as becoming a hope lost women are allowed a portion of knowledge, whether it relates to their to their sexuality or intelligence, but with that revelation they must realise that regardless of their innate gifts or abilities, society will not allow them to reach their potential. As Brad Sullivan points out, Rossetti's "'hope' for meaning and clarity and completeness must be 'deferred' until she can escape from the selfdestructive cycles of worldly existence" (1). Thus it is possible that Laura's need for "salvation" is not a result of sinfulness, but of dissatisfaction with her society. The link between spiritual redemption and social reformation was clearly evident at the St Mary Magdalene house of charity in Highgate, a refuge for fallen women, where Rossetti was a volunteer worker from 1859 to 1870 (Marsh 238). True success in the mission of the home was found in the fulfilment of a twofold purpose: to reform penitent women into "reliable domestic servants" and to make them into active members of the Church of England (240). Marsh goes on to point out the similarities between "Goblin Market" and a story told by the Warden of Highgate, recorded in "A House of Mercy," an article published in the English Woman's Journal in 1857. The Warden's story is about several young women who, like Laura, take forbidden apples from an orchard, which leads them all to violence and death (242). A striking difference between the Warden's account and Rossetti's poem is that while the Warden's fallen women all become racked with guilt, Laura experiences neither guilt

nor shame. The source of her emotional turmoil is not regret for her actions but an intensified desire to eat the fruit again. Thus the poem cannot be seen as merely a message of redemption, for that would entail Laura's feeling that she was morally wrong in acquiring the fruit in the first place. Her cure is necessary, not for her spiritual reconciliation, but for her reintegration into her society. Further evidence for this idea can be found in the bond between Laura and Lizzie. If Lizzie is a redemptive Christ-figure, it would be necessary for there to be a relational separation between them after Laura eats the fruit, in order to symbolise the separation between God and humankind at the Fall, and this would need to be combined with a sense of shame on Laura's part. Instead, Laura openly tells Lizzie of the bliss she experienced in eating her fill of the "sugar-sweet . . . sap" of the fruit (183), without compromising their relationship at all. Rather than her confession being followed by a symbolic eviction from the Garden of Eden, in the next stanza Rossetti writes of the closeness, almost co-mingling of the sisters: Golden head by golden head, Like two pigeons in one nest Folded in each other's wings, They lay down in their curtained bed: Like two blossoms on one stem, Like two flakes of new-fall'n snow, Like two wands of ivory Tipped with gold for awful kings. Moon and stars gazed in at them, Wind sang to them lullaby, Lumbering owls forbore to fly, Not a bat flapped to and fro Round their nest: Cheek to cheek and breast to breast Locked together in one nest. [184-98] This image is clearly not of purity foiling sinfulness, as would be expected in a traditional rhetoric of redemption, but more along the lines of what D'Amico sees in Rossetti's religious works: "Mary, the mother of God, and Mary Magdalene, the sinner, stood together at the Crucifixion. Therefore the disobedience that had cost Eve Eden need not cost her heaven" ("Eve, Mary and Mary Magdalene" 175). This idea suggests a spiritual and moral equality between what is holy and what is redeemed. Yet I see Rossetti's image as even more radical, since even before a price has been paid for Laura's redemption, there is no relational discord between what can be seen as arguably divine nature and human nature: the two sisters remain equal in spite of Laura's apparently immoral act. Therefore, although Lizzie does play the role of a Christ-figure, it is not for Laura's spiritual redemption, as it is quite evident that her spiritual position identified through her relationship with her sister is never lost.

It appears, then, that Rossetti is not necessarily condemning the consumption of the fruit as sinful, but rather she questions whether to do so would be profitable. This interpretation ties in with St Paul's letter to the Corinthians: "all things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any" (I Cor. 6:12). It is quite possible that Rossetti considered this verse in her attitudes toward fallen women, as well as her general perspective on life: she looked for the eternal rewards of heaven, rather than the temporal rewards of earthly life. The goblins play a deceptive role, enticing Laura into a corruptible sense of fulfilment corruptible because it cannot last; she can only buy the fruit once, but she does not realise this until after she has eaten it, and she thus falls under its power. The goblins cry of "come buy, come buy" throughout the poem seems to reflect the biblical trope of referring to the acquisition of heavenly rewards in terms of purchasing: Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? [Isa. 55:1-2] The Book of Revelations echoes this idea: "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fires, that thou mayest be rich" (Rev. 3:18). Within this discourse of buying and selling, it is easy to see the produce of the goblins as the corruptible, temporal rewards of earthly life that should be passed over, not because they are necessarily bad, but because there is something better to seek, something that will satisfy where the goblin fruit cannot: the eternal, incorruptible rewards of heaven. This idea relates to Christ's words: "provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth" (Luke 12:33). Rossetti's attitude toward unconventionality and social outcasts is significant, for she seems to encourage an ideology of acceptance rather than judgment. As D'Amico says regarding Rossetti's involvement at Highgate, "we can assume that since Rossetti was involved in a cause that sought to reform these women, even return them to the family structure, she must have believed a fallen woman need not forever be a social outcast" ("Equal Before God" 69). This attitude is a decided move away from the unforgiving dominant one in her society, as seen in "A House of Mercy," which emphasises the evils of sexual pormiscuity. In "Goblin Market" Rossetti argues that "fallen women are not only streetwalkers and sinners but also loving sisters" (Leighton, Victorian Women Poets 137). She promotes social acceptance, for Laura is able to live a "normal" life in the end, becoming a respectable wife and mother, whereas in Rossetti's society, a woman once "fallen" could not regain respectability. Rossetti seems to be saying that if a perfect God can accept these women, society, which is itself imperfect and corruptible, should also accept them. This idea directly relates to her attack against inequality in The Face of the Deep: "saints are ready to receive all sinners: all sinners are not ready to receive saints" (185).

Although the spiritual state of the fallen woman is important to Rossetti, it does seem as though she concerned herself equally, if not more so, with the way society deals with such women. Instead of ostracism, society is encouraged to sacrificially embrace them as Lizzie embraces Laura. The message of the poem therefore becomes just as much for the "Lizzies" in Rossetti's society as the "Lauras." As Marsh says, the poem was simple enough for the uneducated girls at Highate but also appropriate for the "more sophisticated listeners schooled in religious exegesis...such as the staff at Highgate" (243). The redemption portrayed in "Goblin Market," then, is not so much spiritual as social. In challenging the interpretation of "Goblin Market" as representative of fallen women acquiring a Christian salvation, I do not mean to remove the distinct spiritual implications of the text. The poem continually alludes to Revelation 10:10 "And I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter." There are references to Laura being a "sweet-tooth" (GM 115), and to the fruit being "Sweet to the tongue" (30) and "Sweeter than honey" (129). Yet when Laura tastes the juices the second time, they are no longer sweet: the fruit is "like honey to the throat/But poison in the blood" (554-55). She clearly argues that although the fruits of pleasure whether they are sexual, intellectual, or otherwise may seem sweet, they can, in fact, be destructive. However, this does not necessarily define the fruit as an issue of sinfulness but of social morality. Consequently its lack of acceptability is defined by culture, not by a Divine Being. The imperfect society of Victorian England forbid such items to women, and therefore the consumption of these fruits brings destruction within that particular society. Although Rossetti in working at Highgate would not have questioned the immorality of prostitution, she might have empathised with the continued ostracism of these women that occurred even after they had been "reformed," especially in relation to the double standards in nineteenth-century society regarding female sexuality and marriage. D'Amico suggests that Rossetti did not see much difference between the woman who sells herself in marriage, who does not marry for a genuine love, and the woman who has sexual experience before marriage because she is fooled by the promises of human love. Both are guilty of placing the things of earth before God. ["Equal Before God" 77] Furthermore, as stated earlier, Rossetti also refers at times to knowledge and education by the rhetoric of forbidden fruit; thus it seems reasonable to conflate the issues of sexuality and education within "Goblin Market," understanding the poem to be less specifically related to fallen women, and more generally related to the Woman Question. It is significant that lack of education ties in succinctly with the perception of sexual promiscuity in women during the Victorian Age, as paradoxical as that idea seems in light of the fears of over-education causing reproductive dysfunction. The education these women were required to have, however, was not the academic education available to men, but moral education: "the girls at Highgate...were

perceived to have the moral immaturity of children, unable to curb their appetite or temper" (Marsh 243). In "Goblin Market," Laura and Lizzie have both been morally educated to not even "peep at goblin men" (49), let alone to enter into an economy of exchange with them. Yet Laura is "curious" (69), seeking experience and knowledge beyond the limits imposed upon her. The problem with the fruit in "Goblin Market" is expressed by Laura herself: "Who knows upon what soil they fed/Their hungry thirsty roots?" (44-45). In looking at the fruit as knowledge, this could refer to dangerous, unorthodox philosophies, which Rossetti evidently feared: "it is wiser to remain ignorant than to learn evil. . . . It is better to avoid doubts than to reject them" (FD 38). This rejection of intellectual discovery also relates to women not being able to exceed the boundaries of the private sphere. Laura seeks to trespass this boundary willingly, and Lizzie does so reluctantly, yet regardless of motivation, they both go beyond society's imposed limitations. Lizzie might not actually taste the fruit, but she does take its juices upon herself, deriving pleasure both from her "sacrifice" and from her ability to withstand the goblin men, rather than from the fruit itself. Lizzie succeeds in her purpose to "save" her sister but she remains unsullied. Her achievement is long-lasting, while to taste the fruit is a transient experience. At the same time, it is still Lizzie, not Laura, who is perceived to be unfeminine. Laura fits into a feminized category as a fallen woman, but Lizzie refuses to conform: she is not an angel, for she seeks to buy the fruit, but neither is she prostituted, for she refuses to taste it. Her refusal to consume the fruit causes the goblins to attribute unfeminine qualities to her: "One called her proud,/Cross-grained, uncivil" (394-95); yet her purity remains evident: "White and golden Lizzie stood,/Like a lily in a flood" (408-409). Lizzie's subversiveness in seeking out the goblins is justified both through her reluctance and her sense of self-sacrifice. She is compelled to act in order to promote freedom for women within her society by confronting the goblins and consequently the patriarchal system of ostracism. The resolution of the poem reflects Rossetti's apparent ambivalence in regard to womanhood. The "willed confusion of fallen and unfallen" (Leighton, "Laws" 235) in "Goblin Market" shows that Rossetti was evidently torn between realising how blatantly her society seemed to disregard the biblical precedence for forgiveness and acceptance and actually being able to function effectively as an individual within that society. As D'Amico suggests, Lizzie is not the "pure unfallen sister" who saves the fallen woman ("Equal Before God" 70); neither does she function as the pure "opposite" of her sister "the virginal woman is not set before the reader as an ideal" (76). Laura and Lizzie both eventually appear to conform to their expected roles as wives and mothers, yet in telling their children of the goblins, the moral of the story is not a warning against approaching strange men or sampling forbidden fruits, but a valorisation of female solidarity. The absence of any patriarchal figure or influence is conspicuous in the final image, giving the impression of a cloistered existence. The women become pure, but not virginal; and most significantly, they do not express any regret for their rebellious past.

Even more importantly, during Laura's feverish deliverance from the seductions of the fruit, the question is put: "Pleasure past and anguish past,/Is it death or is it life?" (GM 522-23) Laura's reaction to the antidote is as full of passion as her previous insatiable appetite for the fruit, but once the antidote has worked, she falls into a comatose state, from which Lizzie is uncertain that she will recover. Laura's pulse is "flagging" (526), and Lizzie watches through the night, feeling for her sister's breath (527). Although Laura awakes "as from a dream" and "laugh[s] in the innocent old way" (537-38), she is a much more subdued, shadowy figure than she was at the beginning of the poem. Isobel Armstrong refers to Laura's recovery as a "second innocence" (54), which is a revealing idea, for Laura does not recover her initial innocence, which emphasised absolute freedom: Laura stretched her gleaming neck Like a rush-imbedded swan, Like a lily from the beck, Like a moonlit poplar branch, Like a vessel at the launch When its last restraint is gone. [GM 81-86] The portrayal of her "second" innocence is remarkably different, in that it is restricted to her outward appearance, giving no sense of the freedom and life she expressed before. She is redeemed because she seems outwardly to fall into line with what society expects of her: she appears passionless, and seeks no pleasure for herself. Yet beneath the apparently innocent sweetness, there lies a tantilising tone in Rossetti's language: "Her gleaming locks showed not one thread of grey,/Her breath was sweet as May/And light danced in her eyes" (540-42). Laura's innate passion cannot be denied, still reflected in the light dancing in her eyes, but it is carefully contained. It could be argued that while Laura awakes physically from her fever-induced coma, she does not fully recover spiritually or emotionally, as that very essence of her being her overt passion is not seen again. She is permitted the "fruit of her womb" that is, her children but not the fruit of her mind or her sexuality. The implications of eating forbidden fruit are ambiguous in "Goblin Market," just as Rossetti's view is ambiguous concerning the role and status of women in her society. She addresses the restrictions placed on women, using biblical examples to reveal that these restrictions are incongruous with the will of God. In "Goblin Market" in particular, she pulls down the ideological boundaries of femininity, allowing women to escape from the extremes of classification: an angelic Virgin Mary, devoid of sexuality, or an Eve, punished for seeking knowledge. Rossetti puts her unswerving hope in Christ and heaven for the restoration of her society; a hope perhaps exemplified by the unconditional love Lizzie shows in both "saving" and accepting her sister. Works Consulted Armstrong, Isobel."`A Music of Thine Own': Women's Poetry." Bristow 32-63.

Armstrong, Karen. The Gospel According to Woman: Christianity's Creation of the Sex War in the West. New York: Anchor, 1987. Bentley, D.M.R. "The Meretricious and the Meritorious in Goblin Market: A Conjecture and Analysis." Kent,Achievement 57-81. Bible. King James Version. Camden: Thomas Nelson, 1972. Blake, Kathleen. "Christina Rossetti, Women, and Patience." The Victorian Web. Ed. George P. Landow. 1991. University Scholars Programme. 14 March, 2002 . Bristow, Joseph, ed. Victorian Women Poets. London: Macmillan, 1995. D'Amico, Diane. "Eve, Mary, and Mary Magdalene: Christina Rossetti's Feminine Triptych." Kent, Achievement 175-91. ---. "'Equal Before God': Christina Rossetti and the Fallen Women of Highgate Penitentiary." Gender and Discourse in Victorian Literature and Art. Ed. Antony H. Harrison and Beverley Taylor. DeKalb: Northern Illinois UP, 1992. 67-83. Garlick, Barbara. "The Frozen Fountain: Christina Rossetti, the Virgin Model, and Youthful Pre-Raphaelitism." Virginal Sexuality and Textuality in Victorian Literature. Ed. Lloyd Davis. Albany: State U of New York P, 1993. 105-27. Kent, David. The Achievement of Christina Rossetti. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1987. Leighton, Angela. "'Because men made the laws': The Fallen Woman and the Woman Poet." Bristow 223-45. ---. Victorian Women Poets: Writing Against the Heart. New York: Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1992. Marsh, Jan. "Christina Rossetti's Vocation: The Importance of 'Goblin Market'." Victorian Poetry 32 (1994): 233-48. Rossetti, Christina G. The Complete Poems of Christina Rossetti. Ed. R.W. Crump and Betty S. Flowers. London: Penguin, 2001. ---. The Face of the Deep: A Devotional Commentary on the Apocalypse. London: SPCK, 1892. Sullivan, Brad. "'Grown Sick With Hope Deferred': Christina Rossetti's Darker Musings." Papers on Language and Literature. 32.3 (1996):227-43. Warner, Marina. Alone of All Her Sex: The Myth and the Cult of the Virgin Mary. London: Picador, 1985.

"Goblin Market" 1. What seems to be the subject of the poem? Why do you think the poet cast it as a fairy tale? How does this affect the ways in which its themes are represented? 2. What are features of the poems rhymes and rhythm? What effect do these have on the poem's pacing? 3. How are the stanzas divided? What is the effect of the use of different stanza lengths? 4. What are some characteristics of the poem's diction? How are the fruits described? 5. What are some allegorical features of the opening section? 6. How are the goblin men described? Is it significant that they traffic outside the town? 7. What effect is created by the fact that they act in concert, not as individuals? What other cues are given to indicate how we should respond to them? 8. What significance is attached to the fact that they wish to sell (not give away) their fruits? How is the theme of marketplace exchange used throughout the poem? 9. How are Laura and Lizzie contrasted? What seems to be their relationship to each other? 10. How does each embody or reject Victorian conventions for women? What infractions of Victorian gender codes does Laura commit? 11. What imagery is associated with Laura as she advances toward the goblins? (ll. 81-86) 12. What sexual overtones appear in the scene of Laura and the goblin men? What sensations are assoicated with her consumption of the goblin fruits? (ll. 134-41) 13. What is the significance of the poems account of Jeanie? What imagery surrounds her partaking of goblin fruits, and her death? Why doesn't a similar fate await Laura? 14. Does Laura at first realize the consequence of her actions? Why do you think the vignette of the sisters' innocent slumber is inserted here? 15. One rather well-known interpretation of this poem is that the sisters share a lesbian relationship. Can you see evidence for this view in the poem? 16. How is Laura punished for her actions? Within the context of the poem's symbolism, why can she no longer hear the goblins' cry? What are her responses to this? (266-68) 17. What happens to her physical self? 18. Why does she pack a "silver penny" in her purse? How do the goblins respond to her approach? 19. How does Lizzie answer their claim that the fruits are not portable?

20. How do the goblins respond to her refusal? What does this seem to indicate about their intentions? 21. What is the significance of the imagery used to represent Lizzie's resistance to the goblin attacks? (ll. 408-21) 22. What are associations of Lizzie's invitation, "Eat me, drink me, love me"? 23. What imagery is associated in the scene in which Laura sucks the juices and experiences spasms? What is the effect of so many comparisons? (epic similies) 24. Is this experience pleasant for her? How do you interpret it? What term does the narrator use to describe these juices in the poem's final section? 25. What imagery is contrasted with that of the goblin fruits throughout the poem? 26. Christina Rossetti was a devout Anglican who worked in a home for fallen women. How may this poem have reflected her religious convictions? 27. Can you see suggestions of the eucharist in this scene? Of vampirism? Can you think of other interpretations? 28. What are some meanings of the poems ending? 29. What roles do the sisters play in adult life, and who is the audience for their teachings? Do you think the sisters have retreated to form a separate enclave, or will their values affect their outer society? 30. If "there is no friend like a sister," how will this insight be applied in the lives of the male children under their care? Is there no friend like a brother, or is the message gender-exclusive? 31. Can you think of any sources or analogues for this poem? How unusual is the poem for its time in portraying the redemption of a fallen woman? 32. If so, how may the setting of the poem in an alternate world have enabled a different outcome? 33. Are there other unconventional feaures of the poem from a Victorian perspective? 34. What seems to be the poem's message regarding the values of the marketplace? Illicit sexuality? Possible roles for Victorian women? QUESTIONS FOR READING CHRISTINA ROSSETTI'S GOBLIN MARKET

1. What is the effect of constructing this poem so closely to the fairy-tale tradition? How is it similar to the structure and function of a fairy-tale, and how different?

2. What does the fruit represent?

3. Where are the men in this poem?

4. Who is at fault in this poem for the fall? Laura or the goblin men? If both are to blame, what flaw/weakness/vice do each incarnate?

5. How is sexuality, especially female sexuality, represented in this poem?

6. How does the verse mirror the content of the poem? Consider rhythm, sound, and word choice.

7. What is the function of Jeanie's story in the narrative?

8. Think about how bodies are commodified in this poem - pay specific attention to issues of markets and buying. What exactly is being bought and sold?

9. Consider the religious themes embedded in this poem. How are Lizzie and Laura representative of traditional Christian figures? What is the Christian message of this poem?

10. What sort of oppositions do you see structuring this poem? For instance, one might be male-female. Try to create a chart that plots out the dichotomies supported by the narrative.

11. Consider the way that Lizzie's experience with the goblins functions as an "inverted parallel" of Laura's. Where do the similarities and differences lie?

12. What do you make of the end and the sisters' reinscription into typical female domestic structures? How does this relate to usual nineteenth-century narratives of fallenness? Could the gender of the author have anything to do with the differences from the traditional ending for a fallen woman?

13. Why is it that Laura is the speaker at the end? Are her words overly didactic? Can you read her final narrative as in anyway in dialogue with the overall fairy-tale motif present in the poem?

14. Critics have interpreted this poem in many different ways: as a story about temptation and redemption; a critique of Victorian materialism; rejection of patriarchal amatory values; a celebration of women's power; a sexual fantasy of incestuous lesbian love; and a literary representation

of the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. Consider how one might try to use evidence from the poem to support each interpretation. Goblin Market In A Nutshell Christina Rossetti 's "Goblin Market," like most art by members of the Pre-Raphaelite group, is teeming with symbolism. And guess what this means there's plenty of work to be done digging up the good stuff. Not that it's uninteresting on the surface, or narrative, level. "Goblin Market" is about two sisters, one of whom gets sick after eating bad goblin fruit, and is healed because of her sister's bravery. The Rossettis were an extraordinary family. Christina Rossetti was the youngest child in a family of poets, artists, and philosophers. Christina's father, Gabriele Rossetti, was an Italian political refugee. Rossetti was married to an English woman, and he continued to live in England because he couldn't return to Italy. Christina's brother, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, was a poet, a painter, and a prominent member of the artistic group called the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. William Michael Rossetti another brother, was a literary and art critic. Maria Francesca, Christina's older sister, was intensely religious and eventually became a nun. Like many young English women in the Victorian period (i.e., during the reign of Queen Victoria, or 1837-1901), Christina Rossetti was educated at home. Like her sister, she was a devout Anglo-Catholic. But like her brothers, Christina was also closely associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. She wrote occasional poems and essays for the Pre-Raphaelite journal, The Germ. Encouraged by her family, she eventually published a collection of poetry, Goblin Market and Other Poems, in 1862. The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB) was a group of painters, poets, and critics who thought that art had gone down the tubes since the time of the Renaissance Italian painter Raphael. They wanted both visual art and poetry to return to the intense colors and vivid detail typical of artists in the early Italian Renaissance. Pre-Raphaelite painters and poets depicted even the humblest objects with great detail nothing was beneath their notice. But their art wasn't just about nostalgia for the past. The Pre-Raphaelites were also progressive and forward thinking. The PRB wanted to buck the system and rebel against the kind of art taught by the Royal Academy schools in England. They thought that all forms of art were closely linked, so they encouraged PRB members to dabble in different media: painters tried writing poetry, and poets tried painting. Christina Rossetti's brother, Dante Gabriel, was the most successful at integrating different forms. He's now remembered as both a painter and poet. Christina Rossetti was never an official member of the PRB (after all, it was a "Brotherhood"), but she was still an important part of the group. Her brother, Dante Gabriel, contributed paintings to illustrate "Goblin Market." In addition, her poems are

all clearly influenced by the values of the PRB. Check out the "Best of the Web" section to see examples of Dante Gabriel Rossetti's paintings for "Goblin Market." Why Should I Care? Some folks like to read "Goblin Market" as just being about female heroism and sisterhood, and stop there. But you can also read it as an allegory about bad markets and bad investments (this should sound familiar to anyone who has turned on the TV, seen a newspaper, or glanced at a news site lately). Or you could read "Goblin Market" as a scathing criticism of the way women were objectified and treated as commodities on a marriage market during the Victorian period. You could also read it as a poem about sexual purity. In other words, "Goblin Market" has a lot going on. If you're interested in heroism, the economy, marriage, or sex (and we're sure at least one of those things will catch your attention), "Goblin Market" is definitely for you. Goblin Market Summary Two sisters, Laura and Lizzie, hear the sounds of the goblin fruit market from their house. At first they try to ignore the enticing calls of the goblin men, but eventually Laura decides to go out and see what's happening. Lizzie warns her not to, but Laura is too curious. The goblin men offer her their fruit, and Laura thinks it looks tasty. She doesn't have any money, but the goblins offer to take a piece of her golden hair instead. So Laura gives up some of her hair, gorges herself on goblin fruit, and heads on home to her sister. But after eating all that goblin fruit, Laura starts to waste away. Lizzie gets worried and decides to go down to the market to see what's what. The goblin men try to tempt her the way they tempted Laura, but Lizzie stands firm. The goblin men turn violent and try to stuff fruit in Lizzie's mouth, but she squeezes her mouth shut, so they just end up getting juice all over her. Lizzie runs back to their house all covered in goblin fruit juice. Laura kisses the juice off her sister's cheeks and is miraculously, but painfully, healed. Years later, Laura and Lizzie are both wives and mothers, and they describe their experience in the goblin market to their own children as a cautionary tale about the importance of sisterly love. Stanza 1 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line. Lines 1-4 MORNING and evening Maids heard the goblins cry:

"Come buy our orchard fruits, Come buy, come buy:

We learn in the first two lines that the "goblin market" is open for business all the time both "morning and evening." It's also interesting that "maids," or unmarried women, are the ones who hear the "cries" of the goblin fruit sellers. Do men not hear the goblins? What about married women? The repeated "cry" of the goblin men sure would get annoying after a while.

Lines 5-16 Apples and quinces, Lemons and oranges, Plump unpeck'd cherries, Melons and raspberries, Bloom-down-cheek'd peaches, Swart-headed mulberries, Wild free-born cranberries, Crab-apples, dewberries, Pine-apples, blackberries, Apricots, strawberries; All ripe together In summer weather,

The goblin men list all kinds of fruit they have for sale. There are a few unusual kinds of fruit listed, so we'll point those out. "Quinces" are a fruit from the eastern Mediterranean that look kind of like pears, but are too sour to eat unless they're cooked. "Unpecked cherries" are just cherries that birds haven't "pecked" at. They're fresh and perfect. "Bloom-down-cheeked peaches" are peaches that are fresh and covered in peach fuzz. "Mulberries" are a kind of fruit native to warm and sub-tropical places. "Crab-apples" are just a kind of small, tart apple. "Dewberries" are like small blackberries. It might not strike you as odd that the goblins have "pine-apples," "strawberries," "apples," and citrus fruit all at the same market, at the same time, but for 19th -century readers, this would seem like crazy-talk. After all, pineapples and citrus fruit require warm climates and would need to be imported to England. We might be able to walk into a grocery store and find all of these fruits in the same produce section at any time of the year, but it just wasn't possible in the 19th century. Not only do the goblins have fruit from all different climates at their market, they have fruit that usually ripen in different seasons. "Apples," for example are usually ripe in the fall, while strawberries are ready in the early summer.

But all of these fruits are ready at the same time, "in summer weather."

Lines 17-24 Morns that pass by, Fair eves that fly; Come buy, come buy: Our grapes fresh from the vine, Pomegranates full and fine, Dates and sharp bullaces, Rare pears and greengages, Damsons and bilberries,

The "morning and evening" mentioned in the first line of the poem are brought up again here the goblin men mention the passing of "morns," or mornings," and beautiful "eves." They're saying, "time flies, so come buy our fruit." Then the goblin men launch into another list of fruits at their market. Again, some of the varieties are unusual, so we'll pause to point out the odd ones "Pomegranates" are a kind of Mediterranean fruit with lots of edible, juicy red seeds inside a tough rind. "Dates" are the fruit from the date palm tree. "Bullaces," "greengages," and "Damsons" are different varieties of plum. "Bilberries" are similar to blueberries, and are sometimes called European blueberries. Then the goblins stop their list again to invite anyone who's listening (the "maids" mentioned in line 2, probably), to "taste them and try."

Lines 25-31 Taste them and try: Currants and gooseberries, Bright-fire-like barberries, Figs to fill your mouth, Citrons from the South, Sweet to tongue and sound to eye; Come buy, come buy."

Now it's back to listing fruit. Is anyone else exhausted by the choices here? It's like going to a gourmet supermarket the choice is overwhelming. But back to pointing out the unusual fruit bear with us as we complete the tour of the goblin produce sectionwe're almost through. "Gooseberries" are usually green, and look kind of like hairy grapes. They're good for jam. "Barberries" are a dark red berry (which is why they're described as "brightfire-like" here).

"Citrons" are you guessed it a kind of citrus fruit. And they come from the South with a capital "S," which basically just means anywhere south of England where citrus could grow. (Citron also means "lemon" in French.) The goblin men assure the "maids" (or anyone who is still listening) that their fruit is sweet and "sound," or healthy at least, "to the eye." Does that mean that the fruit could be rotten in the middle? But the goblin fruit sellers aren't taking questions about their overwhelming assortment of fruit they're just repeating the command to "come buy."

Stanza 2 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line. Lines 32-39 Evening by evening Among the brookside rushes, Laura bow'd her head to hear, Lizzie veil'd her blushes: Crouching close together In the cooling weather, With clasping arms and cautioning lips, With tingling cheeks and finger tips.

Every evening, Laura and Lizzie sit together next to a stream or a brook ("among the brookside rushes"), enjoying the "cooling weather" after the heat of the day. But something embarrasses them: Laura "bows her head" when she hears them, and Lizzie "blushes." It's not clear whether Laura "bows her head" in order "to hear" the goblin men more clearly, or whether hearing them embarrasses her, so she bows her head when she hears them. The line could be read either way. Both of the girls "clasp" each other closely and "caution" each other. It's not clear what they're cautioning each other about, yet. They both have "tingling cheeks" as they hear the goblin men calling. Why does the sound of a fruit market make them so uncomfortable? We're also told that their "finger tips" are "tingling" is that because their fingers are "itching" to grab some fruit? It's not clear.

Lines 40-47 "Lie close," Laura said, Pricking up her golden head: "We must not look at goblin men, We must not buy their fruits: Who knows upon what soil they fed

Their hungry thirsty roots?" "Come buy," call the goblins Hobbling down the glen.

Laura asks Lizzie to lie closer to her, and then "prick[s]" up her head. But even as she perks up, she warns Lizzie that they shouldn't even look at the goblins, let alone buy their fruit, because who knows where the fruit came from? Describing the fruit as having "hungry thirsty roots" makes it sound scary, like something from a bad horror movie. The goblins just call for them to "come buy" again as they go past down the "glen," or narrow valley.

Lines 48-63 "Oh," cried Lizzie, "Laura, Laura, You should not peep at goblin men." Lizzie cover'd up her eyes, Cover'd close lest they should look; Laura rear'd her glossy head, And whisper'd like the restless brook: "Look, Lizzie, look, Lizzie, Down the glen tramp little men. One hauls a basket, One bears a plate, One lugs a golden dish Of many pounds weight. How fair the vine must grow Whose grapes are so luscious; How warm the wind must blow Through those fruit bushes."

Lizzie warns Laura not to sneak peeks at the goblin men, and covers her own eyes tightly. Lizzie covers her eyes "lest they should look," which sounds odd as though her eyes might try to peek without her permission. She must really be deeply tempted to look at the goblins. But Laura doesn't pay attention. She keeps looking and gives Lizzie a whispered description of what she sees. The "little men" are heading down the valley each of them carrying some kind of container for the fruit. One of them is even carrying a heavy "golden dish." Laura is amazed by the sight of the goblin men and their fruit. She remarks on how "luscious" the grapes look, and thinks about how "warm the wind" must be where the grapes are grown to get them so fat and juicy.

Lines 64-80 "No," said Lizzie, "No, no, no; Their offers should not charm us, Their evil gifts would harm us." She thrust a dimpled finger In each ear, shut eyes and ran: Curious Laura chose to linger Wondering at each merchant man. One had a cat's face, One whisk'd a tail, One tramp'd at a rat's pace, One crawl'd like a snail, One like a wombat prowl'd obtuse and furry, One like a ratel tumbled hurry skurry. She heard a voice like voice of doves Cooing all together: They sounded kind and full of loves In the pleasant weather.

Lizzie doesn't want to hear about the "luscious" grapes or anything else. She refuses to listen over and over again. She warns Laura that the goblin's "gifts" are "evil." Then Lizzie sticks her fingers in her ears so that she won't be able to hear her sister's descriptions or the goblins' calls, and runs away with her eyes shut. Don't try this at home, you'll probably run into something. Meanwhile, Laura stays by the side of the stream to watch the procession of the goblins. She's described as "curious" and "wondering." She just wants to see more of them. Before, she described the goblins as "little men," but now the description gets pretty wacky. According to Laura, they all have body parts like different animals. And some of those animals come from places far from England. The "wombat" is a marsupial from Australia. "Obtuse" is an odd way of describing a wombat. Are wombats particularly "obtuse," or dull and stupid? A "ratel" is an animal from South Africa that looks like a badger. None of them is the same. Notice how lines 71-76 all start with the word "one"? Each of the goblins is unique. Even their voices sound like different animals, but at least it sounds pleasant. Laura even thinks that their "dove"-like voice sounds "full of loves."

Stanza 3 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line.

Lines 81-86 Laura stretch'd her gleaming neck Like a rush-imbedded swan, Like a lily from the beck, Like a moonlit poplar branch, Like a vessel at the launch When its last restraint is gone.

Laura is craning her neck to see the goblin men better, and the poet compares her to a swan leaning out of the rushes in a stream. Then she is compared to a lily that leans over a "beck" or a brook. Then she's compared to a delicate kind of tree branch on a "moonlit" night. Finally, she's compared to a ship that's just leaving dock. The ship starts to move forward when the anchor is pulled up and all the lines are in. The stanza ends with the words, "when its last restraint is gone." This phrase refers to the ship that Laura is being compared to. It literally means that the anchor is up and the ship is untied and ready to go. But this line could also suggest that Laura's guard is down she's unrestrained. Anything could happen.

Stanza 4 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line. Lines 87-90 Backwards up the mossy glen Turn'd and troop'd the goblin men, With their shrill repeated cry, "Come buy, come buy."

The "goblin men" turn around and come back up the valley. They must realize that Laura's checking them out. Maybe they can sense that there's a potential sale to be made here. They keep crying out their tired old sales pitch: "Come buy! Come buy!"

Lines 91-96 When they reach'd where Laura was They stood stock still upon the moss, Leering at each other, Brother with queer brother; Signalling each other, Brother with sly brother.

When they get back to where Laura is, the goblins stop and "leer," or glance sideways, at each other.

They're described as "brothers," but don't assume that they're related by blood. As in HBO's Band of Brothers, they're just all part of the same band. In line 94, "queer" means "suspiciously odd." The goblins sneakily "signal" to each other. They're described as "brothers," again. This time as "sly brother[s]." The repetition underlines the fact that they're all members of one group, while Laura is isolated and alone. Even her own sister, Lizzie, isn't around.

Lines 97-104 One set his basket down, One rear'd his plate; One began to weave a crown Of tendrils, leaves, and rough nuts brown (Men sell not such in any town); One heav'd the golden weight Of dish and fruit to offer her: "Come buy, come buy," was still their cry.

After "signaling each other," the goblins all leap to action, and they all seem to have different, pre-arranged tasks. It seems like they've done this before. The uniqueness of the individual goblins is emphasized again: like in lines 7176, lines 97-102 begin with "One" "one" goblin did this, and "one" did that. They all have different jobs. One of them "rears," or holds up his "plate," probably to show off the fruit on it for Laura. Another goblin starts to "weave a crown" for her out of branches of nuts. Line 101 is in parentheses it's as though the poet is telling us, just by the way, that the kind of nuts the goblins are using are really uncommon. This seems important, but like a lot of the details in the poem, the meaning isn't clear. Another goblin hefts up a heavy golden dish full of fruit to offer her. They're all still "cry[ing]" in unison, "come buy! Come buy!" This might seem creepy, but Laura clearly has not seen as many horror movies as we have, so she doesn't know that this would be a great moment to turn and run.

Stanza 5 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line. Lines 105-106 Laura stared but did not stir, Long'd but had no money:

Laura would love to reach for the fruit, but she doesn't "stir" from where she is because she's strapped for cash.

The repeated "buts" in these two lines help to emphasize the contrast between what Laura desires, and what she can actually have.

Lines 107-114 The whisk-tail'd merchant bade her taste In tones as smooth as honey, The cat-faced purr'd, The rat-faced spoke a word Of welcome, and the snail-paced even was heard; One parrot-voiced and jolly Cried "Pretty Goblin" still for "Pretty Polly;" One whistled like a bird.

A couple of the goblins that were described before, in lines 71-76, step up and invite Laura to "taste" their fruits, at the very least. The one with a "tail" has a voice that sounds as sweet as the fruits look. We're starting to wonder what kind of a "tail" it is forked, perhaps, like a demon's? The goblins all sound like the animals they resemble. There's even one that sounds like a parrot, but he says "Pretty Goblin!" instead of "Pretty Polly," or, as we usually say, "Polly wanna cracker!"

Stanza 6 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line. Lines 115-122 But sweet-tooth Laura spoke in haste: "Good folk, I have no coin; To take were to purloin: I have no copper in my purse, I have no silver either, And all my gold is on the furze That shakes in windy weather Above the rusty heather."

Laura doesn't want there to be any misunderstanding, so she blurts out that she doesn't have any money, so taking any fruit would be "to purloin," or to steal. She says that she has neither "copper" (i.e., pennies) nor "silver" (i.e., more valuable coins) to pay for the fruit. Instead of just saying, "I don't have any gold, either," she says that the only gold she has is "on the furze," which is a kind of evergreen shrub that has goldcolored flowers. She politely calls the goblins "Good Folk." "Folk" is capitalized, which could be a reference to old British myths that describe elfish, magical people as "Fair Folk" or "Good Folk."

Lines 123-128 "You have much gold upon your head," They answer'd all together: "Buy from us with a golden curl." She clipp'd a precious golden lock, She dropp'd a tear more rare than pearl, Then suck'd their fruit globes fair or red:

The goblins point out that Laura ha plenty of "gold" on her head. Her blond hair, apparently, counts as gold money at the goblin market. So the goblins ask Laura to give them "a golden curl" in exchange for some fruit. Laura cuts a "precious golden lock," but cries while doing it. Just as her hair is "precious" and "golden" like a gold coin, her tear is compared to a "rare" "pearl." So Laura's various body parts are being compared to different precious minerals and gemstones. Having traded in that "precious golden curl," Laura starts "suck[ing]" on the goblin "fruit globes."

Lines 129-133 Sweeter than honey from the rock, Stronger than man-rejoicing wine, Clearer than water flow'd that juice; She never tasted such before, How should it cloy with length of use?

The goblin fruit is tasty. Laura thinks that the fruit is "sweeter than honey" and "stronger than [] wine." Does that mean she's getting drunk on goblin fruit? Maybe, because she sure seems to be getting excited about that goblin fruit. The fruit juice is "clearer than water." What kind of fruit has juice that's "clearer than water"? What kind of fruit is this? Laura sure doesn't know she's never tasted anything like this before. The poet then asks how the taste of the fruit could ever "cloy," or get old. But just by asking the question, the poet suggests that the fruit could indeed "cloy" after a while.

Lines 134-136 She suck'd and suck'd and suck'd the more Fruits which that unknown orchard bore; She suck'd until her lips were sore;

Laura keeps "suck[ing]" on the fruit the goblins give her. It's so tasty that she can't stop. The word "sucked" is repeated three times in line 134, possibly to emphasize that Laura just can't bring herself to stop. If you think that these lines are starting to sound kind of erotic, you're not alone. It's hard to avoid reading these lines as sexual. We're reminded that the fruit she's "suck[ing]" comes from an "unknown orchard." (If you're going to go to town on fruit in a vaguely sexual way, it's best to know where that fruit came from.) Laura just keeps "suck[ing]" until she's physically exhausted. Her "lips were sore." The repetition of her "suck[ing]" on the fruit is emphasized by the rhyme in these lines. The rhyme scheme doesn't have a set pattern, and then suddenly three lines in a row all have rhyming end words ("more," "bore," "sore").

Lines 137-140 Then flung the emptied rinds away But gather'd up one kernel stone, And knew not was it night or day As she turn'd home alone.

Once Laura's done with the "suck[ing]", she tosses the "rinds" and fruit cores aside, pausing to pick up a single "kernel stone" (i.e., a seed or pit). Laura is so dazed that she can't tell whether it's "night or day" as she heads home by herself. Yep, sounds like those goblin fruits were laced with something nasty.

Stanza 7 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line. Lines 141-146 Lizzie met her at the gate Full of wise upbraidings: "Dear, you should not stay so late, Twilight is not good for maidens; Should not loiter in the glen In the haunts of goblin men.

When Laura gets home, Lizzie meets her at the front gate to scold her for hanging out with the goblins. Lizzie reminds her that "twilight" is a bad time for "maidens," or unmarried young women. Is "twilight" less dangerous for married women and for men? That's what Lizzie seems to be implying.

Just as the goblin's cries were only heard by the "maids" in line 2, this line seems to suggest that "twilight" is especially dangerous for "maidens."

Lines 147-152 Do you not remember Jeanie, How she met them in the moonlight, Took their gifts both choice and many, Ate their fruits and wore their flowers Pluck'd from bowers Where summer ripens at all hours?

Lizzie then reminds Laura about what happened to a girl named "Jeanie." Apparently Jeanie listened to the goblins' calls in the "moonlight" and took their fruit as "gifts." Jeanie ate all the "choice" or perfect fruit that they gave her and wore the "flowers" they had picked from the "bowers," or shady corners of a garden. It's interesting that she uses the word "bowers" to describe the place where those "flowers" had been "plucked," because "bowers" can also mean a woman's private bedroom. Having "flowers" "plucked" out of a woman's private bedroom sounds an awful lot like Jeanie lost her virginity during this exchange with the goblins.

Lines 153-162 But ever in the noonlight She pined and pined away; Sought them by night and day, Found them no more, but dwindled and grew grey; Then fell with the first snow, While to this day no grass will grow Where she lies low: I planted daisies there a year ago That never blow. You should not loiter so."

Lizzie continues with Jeanie's story. Although she ate the goblins' fruits in the "moonlight" (line 148), she started to "pine away" during the "noonlight." (Yes, "noonlight" is a made-up word; the poet probably uses it because it rhymes with "moonlight.") After her fruit binge, Jeanie starts to get sick and "pine away." She looks everywhere for the goblins and their crazy-good fruit, but can't find them, so she wastes away and ages prematurely. Then she "fell," or died, at the time of the first snow. The word "fell" has other connotations, too. A "fallen woman" during the Victorian period is one who has lost her sexual purity. Lizzie reminds Laura that even the grass won't grow on Jeanie's grave.

Lizzie tried planting flowers on the grave, but they won't bloom. Lizzie wraps up her lecture by repeating that Laura shouldn't "loiter" after dark near the goblin market unless she wants to end up like Jeanie.

Lines 163-169 "Nay, hush," said Laura: "Nay, hush, my sister: I ate and ate my fill, Yet my mouth waters still; To-morrow night I will Buy more;" and kiss'd her: "Have done with sorrow;

Laura tells Lizzie not to worry. Laura tells her sister that she (Laura) ate lots of fruit and is still hungry for more, but not to worry. She says that "tomorrow night" she'll go and buy more. It's like she's telling her sister not to worry, because she can stop anytime she wants to.

Lines 170-183 I'll bring you plums to-morrow Fresh on their mother twigs, Cherries worth getting; You cannot think what figs My teeth have met in, What melons icy-cold Piled on a dish of gold Too huge for me to hold, What peaches with a velvet nap, Pellucid grapes without one seed: Odorous indeed must be the mead Whereon they grow, and pure the wave they drink With lilies at the brink, And sugar-sweet their sap."

Laura starts going on and on about the fruit she tasted. She promises to bring some back for Lizzie. She lists all the awesome "plums," "cherries," "figs" et cetera that she's eaten. She can't seem to stop raving about them. Especially about the "velvet nap," or peach fuzz, on the peaches, and the "pellucid," or translucent grapes. Laura wonders what kind of totally awesome place could grow such delicious fruit.

Stanza 8 Summary

Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line. Lines 184-191 Golden head by golden head, Like two pigeons in one nest Folded in each other's wings, They lay down in their curtain'd bed: Like two blossoms on one stem, Like two flakes of new-fall'n snow, Like two wands of ivory Tipp'd with gold for awful kings.

Lizzie and Laura lie down to go to bed together. The poet compares the two of them to lots of different things as they cuddle up together. The girls are like "two pigeons" that are sharing a nest as they curl up in their canopy ("curtained") bed. But the poet can't seem to decide on one analogy. They're not just like pigeons, they're also just like two flowers coming off of one "stem." Another comparison: they're like two flakes of snow. Finally, the two girls are compared to scepters made out of "ivory" with "gold" on the "tips." This is the strangest comparison yet. The girls are "ivory" because their skin is very fair and white, and the "gold" on the "tips" is their "golden" hair. But why compare two young women to scepters or "wands" for "awful kings"? "Awful" means "awe-inspiring," and not "horrible." Both the flower and the snow comparisons suggest that the girls are both equally pure and innocent. (You can think of this as being like the expression, "pure as the driven snow.") The long list of comparisons emphasizes that the two girls look almost identical, like two peas in a pod. But there's some irony here we know that the two girls aren't the same anymore. Laura has tasted the goblin fruit, and Lizzie hasn't.

Lines 192-198 Moon and stars gaz'd in at them, Wind sang to them lullaby, Lumbering owls forbore to fly, Not a bat flapp'd to and fro Round their rest: Cheek to cheek and breast to breast Lock'd together in one nest.

As the girls sleep, everything is silent around them. All of nature seems to want them to sleep well "the wind" even sings them a "lullaby."

"Owls" and "bats" don't fly too near, for fear of disturbing the girls' sleep. They sleep all cuddled up, "cheek to cheek" in their bed.

Stanza 9 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line. Lines 199-214 Early in the morning When the first cock crow'd his warning, Neat like bees, as sweet and busy, Laura rose with Lizzie: Fetch'd in honey, milk'd the cows, Air'd and set to rights the house, Kneaded cakes of whitest wheat, Cakes for dainty mouths to eat, Next churn'd butter, whipp'd up cream, Fed their poultry, sat and sew'd; Talk'd as modest maidens should: Lizzie with an open heart, Laura in an absent dream, One content, one sick in part; One warbling for the mere bright day's delight, One longing for the night.

The next morning, the girls wake up together and start going about their usual morning chores. They're as busy as bees, and just "as sweet." Laura and Lizzie apparently live by themselves in a country cottage. They have to bring in the honey from the beehives, milk the cows, clean the house, make "cakes," churn the cream into butter, whip the cream, feed the chickens, and finally, sit and sew. The long list of chores suggests good, wholesome work. In other words, Laura and Lizzie are busy with domestic, household tasks, most of which involve preparing good, wholesome food. Not like those dangerous goblin fruits. Once the major morning chores are done, they sit and sew together, and chat "as modest maidens should." This is another way of saying that they're not gossiping about boys they're being "modest" and "maidenly." Lizzie doesn't have anything to hide because she's done nothing wrong, so she chats away "with an open heart." But Laura's absent minded because she's still daydreaming about the goblin fruits. Lizzie is "warbling," or singing to herself like a bird, just because she's happy and it's a beautiful day out, but Laura can't stop wishing for nightfall so she can get some more of that sweet, sweet goblin fruit.

Stanza 10 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line. Lines 215-218 At length slow evening came: They went with pitchers to the reedy brook; Lizzie most placid in her look, Laura most like a leaping flame.

That evening, Laura and Lizzie head down to the brook to fill their "pitchers" with water. Lizzie is calm, or "placid," as usual, but Laura's all hot and bothered, like "a leaping flame."

Lines 219-227 They drew the gurgling water from its deep; Lizzie pluck'd purple and rich golden flags, Then turning homeward said: "The sunset flushes Those furthest loftiest crags; Come, Laura, not another maiden lags. No wilful squirrel wags, The beasts and birds are fast asleep." But Laura loiter'd still among the rushes And said the bank was steep.

After they've gathered the water they need, Lizzie pauses to pick some flowers ("flags" are a kind of flower). Lizzie also takes the time to notice the beautiful sunset it makes the distant "crags," or cliffs, glow. Then Lizzie reminds Laura that it's time to go in. They're the last "maidens" out, and it's not good for young women to loiter by the brook after sunset. Even the "squirrel[s]," "beasts and birds" have all gone in for the night. Laura's not interested in the sunset, the flowers, or the "beasts and birds." She can't see the details Lizzie appreciates anymore. Laura "loiters" along the stream, making up excuses for staying. She says the "bank" of the brook is too "steep" to climb back up with the pitcher of water.

Stanza 11 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line. Lines 228-234 And said the hour was early still The dew not fall'n, the wind not chill;

Listening ever, but not catching The customary cry, "Come buy, come buy," With its iterated jingle Of sugar-baited words:

Laura tells Lizzie that it's okay to stay out because come on, it's not that late yet, and besides it's not cold. Meanwhile, she's straining to hear the "customary cry" of the goblins hawking their fruit as they come through the valley. She's heard it every night since forever, but for some reason she can't hear it tonight, with its "iterated," or repeated "jingle."

Lines 235-241 Not for all her watching Once discerning even one goblin Racing, whisking, tumbling, hobbling; Let alone the herds That used to tramp along the glen, In groups or single, Of brisk fruit-merchant men.

Laura is straining to hear, and craning her neck for a glimpse of the goblins, but can't see a single one, let alone the hordes that always used to come through the valley. It's not clear why Laura can't hear the goblins apparently, once you've eaten the fruit, you can't hear or see the goblins again.

Stanza 12 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line. Lines 242-252 Till Lizzie urged, "O Laura, come; I hear the fruit-call but I dare not look: You should not loiter longer at this brook: Come with me home. The stars rise, the moon bends her arc, Each glowworm winks her spark, Let us get home before the night grows dark For clouds may gather Though this is summer weather, Put out the lights and drench us through; Then if we lost our way what should we do?"

Lizzie tries to coax Laura to come back to the house, because she can hear the goblins coming. She doesn't want to look, though. Lizzie begs Laura to come home the stars are out, and it's getting really dark. Besides, what if it starts raining? They'd get totally soaked. And then what if they got lost in the dark? Better to go home now, right?

Stanza 13 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line. Lines 253-259 Laura turn'd cold as stone To find her sister heard that cry alone, That goblin cry, "Come buy our fruits, come buy." Must she then buy no more such dainty fruit? Must she no more such succous pasture find, Gone deaf and blind?

Laura freaks out when Lizzie tells her that she can hear the goblins. Why can Lizzie hear them, while she can't? Does that mean she won't be able to eat anymore of that tasty, tasty goblin fruit? It's still not clear why Laura can't hear the goblins anymore, and it's probably supposed to stay a mystery. Lines 257-258 are phrased as questions, so if you're wondering what's going on, don't worry: you're supposed to.

Lines 260-268 Her tree of life droop'd from the root: She said not one word in her heart's sore ache; But peering thro' the dimness, nought discerning, Trudg'd home, her pitcher dripping all the way; So crept to bed, and lay Silent till Lizzie slept; Then sat up in a passionate yearning, And gnash'd her teeth for baulk'd desire, and wept As if her heart would break.

Laura's so depressed when she finds out that she's been cut off from that delicious, drug-like goblin fruit that she gets all weakher "tree of life" (AKA her health) gets droopy. Laura doesn't say anything to Lizzie about what's upsetting her, she just "trudges" home and goes straight to bed and sulks, like any angsty teenager might do.

But after Lizzie's asleep, Laura sits up in bed she's jonesing pretty hard for that goblin fruit. The "desire" she feels for the goblin fruit is described in almost erotic terms her "passionate yearning" and "baulked" (i.e., unsatisfied) "desire." Laura cries and cries, and doesn't sleep.

Lines 269-280 Day after day, night after night, Laura kept watch in vain In sullen silence of exceeding pain. She never caught again the goblin cry: "Come buy, come buy;" She never spied the goblin men Hawking their fruits along the glen: But when the noon wax'd bright Her hair grew thin and grey; She dwindled, as the fair full moon doth turn To swift decay and burn Her fire away.

Time passes. It's not clear how much time it's just "day after day, night after night." Laura still yearns for the goblin fruit, and still can't even hear the goblin men as they pass. The "sullen silence" of line 271 could have a double meaning. Laura can't hear the goblin men, and everything is "silent" around her, and she's "silent" herself, in that she hasn't told Lizzie what the problem is. Even though she "kept watch," Laura can't hear or see the goblin men. By the time of the next full moon (i.e., "when the moon waxed bright"), Laura's hair suddenly goes gray. Apparently, eating the goblin fruit somehow tied Laura's life to the moon, so that by the time the moon wanes away, Laura will die.

Stanza 14 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line. Lines 281-285 One day remembering her kernel-stone She set it by a wall that faced the south; Dew'd it with tears, hoped for a root, Watch'd for a waxing shoot, But there came none;

Finally, Laura remembered that she had saved a "kernel stone," or seed, from the goblin fruit she'd eaten. She tries planting it in a nice, warm spot in their garden. After all, she figures, if she can't find her dealer, she might as well try to grow her own. But even though she waters it "with tears," it doesn't take root. Laura's not much of a gardener if she thinks that salty tears are enough to start a plant from seed.

Lines 286-292 It never saw the sun, It never felt the trickling moisture run: While with sunk eyes and faded mouth She dream'd of melons, as a traveller sees False waves in desert drouth With shade of leaf-crown'd trees, And burns the thirstier in the sandful breeze.

Lines 286-287 literally describe the seed, which "never saw the sun," but they could also describe Laura herself, who is wasting away. Laura can't stop dreaming about the fruit, but it's like a "traveler" who sees mirages of water in a "desert." None of it is real, but her dreams make her withdrawal symptoms even worse.

Stanza 15 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line. Lines 293-298 She no more swept the house, Tended the fowls or cows, Fetch'd honey, kneaded cakes of wheat, Brought water from the brook: But sat down listless in the chimney-nook And would not eat.

Laura stops doing her chores around the house. The poet lists all the chores that she's not doing, the way that she listed in detail the chores that she and Lizzie used to do together back in Stanza 9. Now Laura just sits by the chimney "listless[ly]" and mopes. She also stops eating not a good sign.

Stanza 16 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line.

299-311 Tender Lizzie could not bear To watch her sister's cankerous care Yet not to share. She night and morning Caught the goblins' cry: "Come buy our orchard fruits, Come buy, come buy;" Beside the brook, along the glen, She heard the tramp of goblin men, The yoke and stir Poor Laura could not hear; Long'd to buy fruit to comfort her, But fear'd to pay too dear.

Lizzie hates to see Laura wasting away, and not be able to do something. It's also driving her bonkers that Laura won't tell her what's wrong. Lizzie can tell that something is wrong, of course, but "not to share" her sister's pain is hard for her. She can still hear the goblin men, even though Laura can't. They're still out there, shouting "come buy, come buy," every "morning and evening." Lizzie wants to go buy her sister some fruit, but is afraid of "pay[ing] too dear." "Dear" is a British-English word for "expensive," so Lizzie's afraid of paying too high a price, either literally, in terms of the money the fruit would cost, or figuratively, in terms of the "cost" to her own health and happiness. It's not made totally clear, but it seems like Lizzie's probably more worried about the figurative cost to her health.

Lines 312-319 She thought of Jeanie in her grave, Who should have been a bride; But who for joys brides hope to have Fell sick and died In her gay prime, In earliest winter time With the first glazing rime, With the first snow-fall of crisp winter time.

Lizzie can't forget what happened to Jeanie, the other young woman who tried eating the goblin fruit and ended up dead. She thinks that Jeanie would have been married by now. But she couldn't wait for the "joys brides hope to have," and ate the goblin fruit and died "in her gay prime."

The "joys brides hope to have" probably refer to sex. (This is about as explicit as Rossetti gets, and it's not very explicit.) Jeanie died in the winter, around the time of the first "glazing rime," which is a kind of hard, dense frost, and around the time of the "first snow-fall."

Stanza 17 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line. Lines 320-328 Till Laura dwindling Seem'd knocking at Death's door: Then Lizzie weigh'd no more Better and worse; But put a silver penny in her purse, Kiss'd Laura, cross'd the heath with clumps of furze At twilight, halted by the brook: And for the first time in her life Began to listen and look.

Finally, Laura seems so close to death and Lizzie can't afford to wait any longer. She's no longer concerned with the right and wrong, or "better and worse," of it she's going to go buy some fruit to save her sister. So she grabs some loose change, puts it in her "purse," says goodbye to her sister, and heads out to the brook. The "heath" is an area with low, dense shrubby growth, and the "clumps of furze" are clusters of a particular kind of shrub. It's "twilight," which, as we know, is goblin time. "For the first time," Lizzie doesn't shut her eyes and plug up her ears she actually looks at the goblins.

Stanza 18 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line. Lines 329-334 Laugh'd every goblin When they spied her peeping: Came towards her hobbling, Flying, running, leaping, Puffing and blowing, Chuckling, clapping, crowing,

The goblins are delighted to see a new customer. They see Lizzie looking at them near the brook, and come running over.

Lines 331-334 are a list of "ing" words describing all the various ways the goblins have of moving and making noise. Like the list of goblin fruits, and descriptions of individual goblins, the level of detail presented in list form is almost overwhelming.

Stanza 19 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line. Lines 335-347 Clucking and gobbling, Mopping and mowing, Full of airs and graces, Pulling wry faces, Demure grimaces, Cat-like and rat-like, Ratel- and wombat-like, Snail-paced in a hurry, Parrot-voiced and whistler, Helter skelter, hurry skurry, Chattering like magpies, Fluttering like pigeons, Gliding like fishes,

This stanza just continues the overwhelming detail describing the individual goblins. It's a huge group, but each of them is different, and Rossetti seems determined to describe every single one. The goblins are "full of airs and graces," in other words, they're very polite and graceful. But some of them are making "wry," or sarcastic faces at Lizzie (or at each other). Others are making "demure," or modest faces. Again, there's a list of all the different animals the goblins resemble: cats, rats, ratels (a South African mammal that looks like a badger, if you'd forgotten), wombats (a marsupial from Australia), snails, parrots, magpies, pigeons, fishes

Lines 348-352 Hugg'd her and kiss'd her: Squeez'd and caress'd her: Stretch'd up their dishes, Panniers, and plates: "Look at our apples

The goblins actually start to touch Lizzie physically they "kiss" and "hug" and "caress" and "squeeze." They hold out dishes and "panniers" (baskets) of fruit to her.

Lines 353-362 Russet and dun, Bob at our cherries, Bite at our peaches, Citrons and dates, Grapes for the asking, Pears red with basking Out in the sun, Plums on their twigs; Pluck them and suck them, Pomegranates, figs."

The goblins tell Lizzie to admire their fruit. Just like with Laura, the goblins list all their various kinds of fruit, inviting Lizzie to taste this or that. They have red or yellow apples ("russet or dun"), cherries, peaches, citrons (a kind of citrus fruit from Asia), dates, grapes, pears, plums, pomegranates, and figs. That's a lot of choices. The goblins invite Lizzie to "pluck them and suck them," and the internal rhyme of "pluck" and "suck" calls attention to those particular wordsand to the icky sexiness of the goblin's invitation.

Stanza 20 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line. Lines 363-367 "Good folk," said Lizzie, Mindful of Jeanie: "Give me much and many: Held out her apron, Toss'd them her penny.

Lizzie keeps reminding herself what happened to Jeanie, so she tells the goblins that she wants to buy some fruit, and tosses them her "silver penny." It's interesting that Lizzie uses a coin to buy the fruit, while Laura traded a lock of her "golden hair." Lizzie holds out her apron for them to fill with fruit to go.

Lines 368-382 "Nay, take a seat with us, Honour and eat with us," They answer'd grinning: "Our feast is but beginning. Night yet is early, Warm and dew-pearly, Wakeful and starry: Such fruits as these No man can carry: Half their bloom would fly, Half their dew would dry, Half their flavour would pass by. Sit down and feast with us, Be welcome guest with us,

The goblin market doesn't work as a to-go operation, though. They tell Lizzie to have a seat and eat her fruit with them After all, they tell her, it's still early, and the stars are out. And besides, they say, the fruits don't travel well "half their flavour" would be lost and they'd get all dry and gross if she tried to take the fruit home.

Lines 383-389 "Thank you," said Lizzie: "But one waits At home alone for me: So without further parleying, If you will not sell me any Of your fruits though much and many, Give me back my silver penny I toss'd you for a fee."

Lizzie isn't convinced: she tells them she wants the fruit to go, or not at all if they're not interested in sending her away with any, she wants her penny back. After all, Laura is waiting at home for her, by herself. She doesn't want to waste time sitting out by the brook with the goblins. She says she's not interested in "parleying," or negotiating, any more about it.

Lines 390-397 They began to scratch their pates, No longer wagging, purring, But visibly demurring, Grunting and snarling. One call'd her proud, Cross-grain'd, uncivil;

Their tones wax'd loud, Their look were evil.

The goblins start getting mad they're not excited about giving take-out goblin fruit. They scratch their heads ("pates"), trying to decide how to deal with this troublesome girl. They're not smiling or "purring" anymore, but are "demurring," or delaying. The goblins start insulting Lizzie, saying she's too "proud" and "cross-grained," or stubborn, to sit and eat with them. They start getting louder and are obviously up to no good.

Lines 398-407 Lashing their tails They trod and hustled her, Elbow'd and jostled her, Claw'd with their nails, Barking, mewing, hissing, mocking, Tore her gown and soil'd her stocking, Twitch'd her hair out by the roots, Stamp'd upon her tender feet, Held her hands and squeez'd their fruits Against her mouth to make her eat.

The goblins start "lashing their tails" like whips, and "hustle," or shove Lizzie around, and "elbow" her in the ribs." They're getting pretty violent. Again, the poet gives us a list of ing words that describe the various ways the goblins harass and physically assault Lizzie. They even tear at her dress, dirty her "stocking," or tights, and yank her hair. Then things get violent: some of them grab her hands while others try to force the fruit into her mouth.

Stanza 21 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line. Lines 408-421 White and golden Lizzie stood, Like a lily in a flood, Like a rock of blue-vein'd stone Lash'd by tides obstreperously, Like a beacon left alone In a hoary roaring sea, Sending up a golden fire, Like a fruit-crown'd orange-tree

White with blossoms honey-sweet Sore beset by wasp and bee, Like a royal virgin town Topp'd with gilded dome and spire Close beleaguer'd by a fleet Mad to tug her standard down.

Lizzie won't give in. She stands firm against the goblins' violent assault. This stanza is a long list of similes describing Lizzie as she stands alone against the goblins. She's compared first to a "lily," standing alone against a "flood" of water. Then she's compared to a "stone" that sticks up by itself in the "tides" of the ocean. (Notice that the stone is "blue-veined," like a person's skin.) Next, she's compared to a "beacon," or signal light, which shoots up "golden fire" as a sign to sailors in the "hoary," or ancient, ocean. Like the "blue-veined stone," the simile that compares Lizzie to a "beacon" reminds us of her physical body the "golden fire" is her golden blonde hair. Then Lizzie is compared to an "orange-tree" that is surrounded by buzzing, stinging insects. Again, we're reminding of Lizzie's body. First of all, because the "orange-tree" is "fruit-crowned," and second, because the insects are trying to pollinate the tree. Do you know what pollination is, biologically speaking? Yep, and so did Rossetti. As if the pollination simile weren't enough, the final simile describes Lizzie as a city under siege not just any city, of course, but a "virgin town." The attacking "fleet" of enemy ships wants to yank down her "standard," or flag.

Lines 422-432 One may lead a horse to water, Twenty cannot make him drink. Though the goblins cuff'd and caught her, Coax'd and fought her, Bullied and besought her, Scratch'd her, pinch'd her black as ink, Kick'd and knock'd her, Maul'd and mock'd her, Lizzie utter'd not a word; Would not open lip from lip Lest they should cram a mouthful in:

Next, the poet quotes the old saying that you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. The same is true of Lizzie: the goblins have her surrounded and keep trying to force-feed her the fruit, but she keeps her mouth shut and refuses it. Even though the goblins "cuffed" and hit her, she still stands firm.

Here's another of Rossetti's long lists describing the goblins and what they're doing to Lizzie. Lizzie doesn't make a peep, because she's afraid that if she opens her lips at all, even to say "Ouch" the goblins will be able to "cram" some fruit into her mouth.

Lines 433-436 But laugh'd in heart to feel the drip Of juice that syrupp'd all her face, And lodg'd in dimples of her chin, And streak'd her neck which quaked like curd.

Lizzie knows she has them beat, so she's laughing. But she's only laughing on the inside ("in heart"), because if she opens her mouth to laugh at them, they'll get fruit in her mouth. The goblins aren't getting any fruit into Lizzie's mouth, but they're sure getting the juice all over her. The fruit juice is pooling in her "dimples" and is getting smeared all over her face and neck. At this point, Lizzie is a sticky mess, like a five-year-old after a pie-eating contest.

Lines 437-446 At last the evil people, Worn out by her resistance, Flung back her penny, kick'd their fruit Along whichever road they took, Not leaving root or stone or shoot; Some writh'd into the ground, Some div'd into the brook With ring and ripple, Some scudded on the gale without a sound, Some vanish'd in the distance.

Finally, the goblins give up Lizzie's "resistance" is too much for them. At least they have the politeness to return her penny before they go. The goblins scatter. Some of them "dive into the brook," and others wriggle "into the ground" like worms. Some of them disappear on the "gale," or wind. As they leave, they kick their fruit away.

Stanza 22 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line.

Lines 447-454 In a smart, ache, tingle, Lizzie went her way; Knew not was it night or day; Sprang up the bank, tore thro' the furze, Threaded copse and dingle, And heard her penny jingle Bouncing in her purse, Its bounce was music to her ear.

Lizzie is aching all over after being attacked by the goblins. She is so out of it from being beaten up that she doesn't know whether it's "night or day." This is kind of like Laura's initial reaction to eating the goblin fruit, way back at line 139. Lizzie runs up the "bank" of the brook and back across the heath, through "copse," or wooded area, and "dingle," or open meadow. She didn't have to give up her penny, so it's still "jingl[ing]" in her "purse." That sound is "music to her ear," but the poem doesn't tell us why it's so important to Lizzie that she got her penny back. Maybe the penny symbolized something else?

Lines 455-463 She ran and ran As if she fear'd some goblin man Dogg'd her with gibe or curse Or something worse: But not one goblin scurried after, Nor was she prick'd by fear; The kind heart made her windy-paced That urged her home quite out of breath with haste And inward laughter.

Lizzie keeps on running towards her home it's as though she's afraid the goblins might chase after her, either with a "gibe," or verbal insult, or with "something worse" (more physical assault, maybe). But nothing chases her she's by herself. And we're told that she isn't really motivated by fear of the goblins anymore. She's running because of her "kind heart." She's worried about her sister, and is so pleased with herself that even though she's "out of breath," she's still laughing on the inside.

Stanza 23 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line.

Lines 464-474 She cried, "Laura," up the garden, "Did you miss me? Come and kiss me. Never mind my bruises, Hug me, kiss me, suck my juices Squeez'd from goblin fruits for you, Goblin pulp and goblin dew. Eat me, drink me, love me; Laura, make much of me; For your sake I have braved the glen And had to do with goblin merchant men."

As soon as Lizzie enters the gate of their garden, she calls out to Laura. Lizzie invites her sister to come and lick up all the goblin fruit juice off of her. Of course, the way that she puts it ("hug me, kiss me, suck my juices") is almost ludicrously erotic. So go ahead and laugh. Lizzie tells Laura that her little adventure with the goblin men was all for Laura's sake.

Stanza 24 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line. Lines 475-484 Laura started from her chair, Flung her arms up in the air, Clutch'd her hair: "Lizzie, Lizzie, have you tasted For my sake the fruit forbidden? Must your light like mine be hidden, Your young life like mine be wasted, Undone in mine undoing, And ruin'd in my ruin, Thirsty, canker'd, goblin-ridden?"

Laura sees her sister and jumps up. She's afraid that Lizzie has gone and eaten the goblin fruits, too, so she throws her hands in the air in despair. Laura is terrified that Lizzie has eaten the "fruit forbidden," and that she'll waste away, too. She doesn't want to drag Lizzie down with her.

Lines 485-492 She clung about her sister, Kiss'd and kiss'd and kiss'd her: Tears once again Refresh'd her shrunken eyes, Dropping like rain After long sultry drouth; Shaking with aguish fear, and pain, She kiss'd and kiss'd her with a hungry mouth.

Laura hugs Lizzie, and kisses her again and again. Of course, since Lizzie is drenched in goblin fruit juice, Laura gets some in her mouth. Laura hasn't been able to cry for days, but upon seeing the sacrifice her sister was willing to make for her, she starts to cry again. Crying "refreshe[s]" her. Laura is actually "shaking" with a combination of "aguish," or feverish, "fear and pain." She just can't stop kissing her heroic sister. Of course, she's kissing her with a "hungry mouth," so there seems to be an element of greed here, as well as gratitude and affection.

Stanza 25 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line. Lines 493-499 Her lips began to scorch, That juice was wormwood to her tongue, She loath'd the feast: Writhing as one possess'd she leap'd and sung, Rent all her robe, and wrung Her hands in lamentable haste, And beat her breast.

The goblin fruit juice doesn't taste good to Laura it actually burns her lips. It tastes like "wormwood," or bitter poison to her. Laura "writh[es]," or squirms, in pain. It's as though she's "possessed" with an evil spirit. She jumps around, crying out, tearing at her dress, and generally freaking out.

Lines 500-506 Her locks stream'd like the torch Borne by a racer at full speed, Or like the mane of horses in their flight,

Or like an eagle when she stems the light Straight toward the sun, Or like a caged thing freed, Or like a flying flag when armies run.

We then get another stream of similes describing Laura. First, we're told that her hair is "stream[ing]" behind her like the flame held by a racer (imagine someone running while carrying the Olympic torch). Then we're told that her hair is like the mane of a horse that's running. Or maybe it's like an eagle flying "toward the sun." Or, maybe her hair flying free like something that has been caged for a long time and is enjoying its freedom. Finally, her hair is compared to a "flag" held up by a soldier in an advancing army.

Stanza 26 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line. Lines 507-512 Swift fire spread through her veins, knock'd at her heart, Met the fire smouldering there And overbore its lesser flame; She gorged on bitterness without a name: Ah! fool, to choose such part Of soul-consuming care!

Now Laura's healing can begin. A fire spreads through her body from goblin fruit juice on Lizzie's skin, and overpowers the "lesser flame" that was burning in her heart. (No, we can't explain how this works, medically. Just go with it.) She "gorged," or feasted, on unspeakable bitterness. The poet pulls back here and addresses Laura directly, as "fool," and shakes her finger at her for making bad decisions. And eating goblin fruit, clearly, is a bad decision it's "soul-consuming care."

Lines 513-523 Sense fail'd in the mortal strife: Like the watch-tower of a town Which an earthquake shatters down, Like a lightning-stricken mast, Like a wind-uprooted tree Spun about, Like a foam-topp'd waterspout Cast down headlong in the sea,

She fell at last; Pleasure past and anguish past, Is it death or is it life?

Laura loses consciousness as her body battles for life (the "mortal strife" is the struggle for life). Here's another string of similes!. Laura faints just like a "watch-tower" of a town that collapses in an earthquake. Or, she's like the "mast" of a ship that gets struck by "lightning." She's also like a tree that gets "uprooted" and "spun about" by a strong wind or tornado. Notice how short line 518 is? It's as though even the line of the poem is getting "spun about," or confused, by Laura losing consciousness. Laura is also compared to a "waterspout" that falls into the sea. So, she collapses. she's unconscious, and beyond both "pleasure" and "anguish." The stanza ends with a question: is she alive or dead?

Stanza 27 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line. Lines 524-529 Life out of death. That night long Lizzie watch'd by her, Counted her pulse's flagging stir, Felt for her breath, Held water to her lips, and cool'd her face With tears and fanning leaves:

The first line of this stanza answers the question at the end of the previous one: it's not life or death, it's life out of death. Sure, like that's less confusing. Does that mean that Laura dies, and then comes back to life? It's unclear. Lizzie stays up all night to take care of Laura. She takes her pulse and gives her water to drink. Lizzie cries over her and fans her with "leaves."

Lines 530-542 But when the first birds chirp'd about their eaves, And early reapers plodded to the place Of golden sheaves, And dew-wet grass Bow'd in the morning winds so brisk to pass, And new buds with new day Open'd of cup-like lilies on the stream,

Laura awoke as from a dream, Laugh'd in the innocent old way, Hugg'd Lizzie but not twice or thrice; Her gleaming locks show'd not one thread of grey, Her breath was sweet as May And light danced in her eyes.

But by the time early morning rolls around, Laura's okay again. Just as the new day starts, Laura wakes up as though she were waking up "from a dream." She's as fresh and new as the "lilies" that are opening down by the stream. Laura's able to laugh in the "innocent old way," as she used to before she ate the goblin fruits. She hugs Lizzie a lot to thank her, of course. Even her hair is blonde again, instead of gray, and her eyes are bright again.

Stanza 28 Summary Get out the microscope, because were going through this poem line-by-line. Lines 543-547 Days, weeks, months, years Afterwards, when both were wives With children of their own; Their mother-hearts beset with fears, Their lives bound up in tender lives;

Flash forward years later for this stanza. Both Laura and Lizzie are "wives" and have their own children. Like all mothers, they worry about their kids.

Lines 548-559 Laura would call the little ones And tell them of her early prime, Those pleasant days long gone Of not-returning time: Would talk about the haunted glen, The wicked, quaint fruit-merchant men, Their fruits like honey to the throat But poison in the blood; (Men sell not such in any town): Would tell them how her sister stood In deadly peril to do her good, And win the fiery antidote:

Laura tells their kids all about her own youth, and how she visited the "haunted glen" where the goblins were. She tells them the whole story. She says that the goblin fruit was so tasty, but was "poison in the blood." Line 556 is an echo from Line 101. It repeats that "men" don't sell fruit like theirs "in any town." Laura tells the kids about Lizzie's heroism how she risked her own life to save Laura.

Lines 560-567 Then joining hands to little hands Would bid them cling together, "For there is no friend like a sister In calm or stormy weather; To cheer one on the tedious way, To fetch one if one goes astray, To lift one if one totters down, To strengthen whilst one stands."

As Laura repeats the story to her children, she tells them that the moral is that sisters should stick together, because "there is no friend like a sister/ In calm or stormy weather." Sisters save each other and "strengthen" each other. The poem ends with Laura's moral to her children.

Goblin Market Questions Bring on the tough stuff - theres not just one right answer. 1. "Goblin Market" was originally read as a moral tale for children. Is it a children's poem? Why or why not? 2. Only "maids" and "goblins" ever appear in "Goblin Market." Why are there no men in the poem? 3. Why does the poem end with Laura's moral to her children? Is it a satisfying ending? Why or why not? Why might Rossetti have ended that way? 4. Why is it important that Lizzie buys the fruit with a penny, while Laura uses a piece of her hair? 5. Why can only "maids" hear the goblins? 6. Why can't Laura hear or see the goblins after she's eaten the fruit? Goblin Market Analysis Fruit

Symbol Analysis This is an obvious one image for "Goblin Market." After all, the poem is about eating fruit and then wanting for more. The poem opens with a list of 29 different kinds of fruit (yes, we counted). What are you supposed to do with that kind of variety? The level of detail in the poem is often overwhelming, and it's hard to take in all at once. So what's all the fruit doing in the poem? Is it just about temptation? Or does it do something else? That's part of the fun of the poem it keeps you guessing.

Lines 9: The goblins use a metaphor to describe the fuzz on their fresh peaches that makes the peaches seem like human faces, with "cheeks." Lines 43-45: In these lines, Laura talks about the "hungry thirsty roots" of the fruit trees feeding on some unknown soil. Line 406-407: Here, the intense imagery of the goblins trying to forcefeed their fruits to Lizzie underscores the violence of the scene. Lines 415-417: Lizzie is compared to an "orange-tree" being pollinated by "wasp and bee[s]" through an elaborate simile. Does this sound kind of sexual to you? It is probably supposed to.

Sisterhood Symbol Analysis For the first hundred years after it was written, "Goblin Market" was read almost exclusively as a children's poem about the importance of sisterhood and sisterly heroism. In fact, you can still find greeting cards with the final lines of "Goblin Market" written in them. Just check out the "sister" section of a rack of birthday cards, and you might find one. But what's going on with these two sisters? All of the similes suggest that the two of them are virtually interchangeable, and yet one of them succumbs to the temptation of the goblin fruit, while the other stands firm.

Lines 184-186: This simile compares the two sleeping sisters to a pair of "pigeons in one nest." Line 188: Laura and Lizzie are compared to "two blossoms on one stem" in this simile. Are they twins? Lines 562-567: Laura gets the final word because she's the one who provides the moral of the story, and it's about the importance of sisters. These final lines of the poem use anaphora, or the repetition of the same basic structure over and over, to form of a list. Laura is listing all the ways that sisters are awesome.

Flowers

Symbol Analysis Flowers in "Goblin Market" tend to be associated with delicate, fragile purity, as opposed to the luscious, decadent, and sensual goblin fruit. Flowers, though, can be "plucked," which often represented a loss of purity (line 151).

Line 83: This simile compares Laura to a lily by the edge of a "beck," or stream. Lilies often symbolize purity in western culture, but they are also sometimes associated with death. Line 120: Laura connects the golden flowers on the "furze" with golden coins, or money, through metaphor. Lines 150-151: Poor, misguided Jeanie she ate the goblin fruit and even wore the "flowers" they'd picked for her. There's a possible pun on the word "bower" here: a "bower" is a shady part of a garden, but it's also used to describe a lady's private dressing room. So a "flower" that was "plucked" from a "bower" could very well suggest the loss of virginity. Line 409: This simile compares Lizzie to a lily, and the alliteration, or repeated "L" sounds in these lines really underscores the connection between Lizzie and a lily. Lines 533-534: In these lines, the description of the "new buds" and "cuplike lilies" relate metaphorically to Laura's new freshness and health.

Money Symbol Analysis Of course "money" has to be important in a poem with "market" in the title. But even though the market is central to the basic plot of the poem, money only changes hands twice. And the first time, it's not even real money it's a lock of hair. So what's that about?

Line 120: Laura is the first to talk about money metaphorically. In this line, she says that the only "gold" she has is the golden flowers that grow on the "furze" (a prickly kind of shrub with yellow flowers). Line 123: The goblins immediately pick up on Laura's use of metaphor, and point out that if the "gold" on the "furze" counts, why not the "gold" on her "head." Line 126: Laura makes her metaphor relating gold coins to golden hair literal when she actually snips off a "golden curl" to use as money. Line 127: Even Laura's "tear" related to something of monetary value (a "pearl"). It's as though her whole body is getting turned into something that can be exchanged, bought, or sold, just through the poem's metaphors

The Moon Symbol Analysis

The moon is often symbolically connected to women in poetry. But, it can also have to do with cycles and changes, since the moon changes shape throughout the month. The moon makes a couple of appearances in "Goblin Market," and always seems to be connected with addiction to the goblin fruit.

Line 84: In this simile, Laura is compared to a "moonlit poplar branch." A poplar is a kind of delicate, flowering tree appropriate for Laura, who is in the "blossom" of her youth. Line 148: Lizzie reminds Laura about the girl, Jeanie, who had eaten the goblin fruit and died. She "met them in the moonlight," so the temptation to eat goblin fruit is again associated with "moonlight." Is the market not open when there's no moon? Line 246: Again, the "moon" is associated with the danger of temptation. Lizzie hears the goblins call, and the movement of the moon in the sky warns her that she should get inside. Lines 278-280: After having eaten the goblin fruit in the moonlight, Laura's life seems somehow bound up with the moon: she starts to "dwindle" as the moon wanes from full.

Water Symbol Analysis A lot of the action of "Goblin Market" takes place down by the stream where Laura and Lizzie gather water. Most of the detail in "Goblin Market" means something. What about the water and all the images associated with water? Give us your ideas!

Lines 85-86: In this simile, Laura is compared to a ship whose anchor is up and lines are cast nothing is holding it back anymore. So in this image, water is associated with being unrestrained and free (possibly not in a good way). Line 219: After Laura has eaten the fruit, she and Lizzie go to draw water from the stream as usual. The "gurgling" of the stream appeals to the sense of the reader. Instead of only visual imagery, here, we're given auditory detail. Lines 289-292: This simile compares Laura's fantasies about goblin melons to the mirages of water that travelers might see in the desert.