Page:Poems by Christina Rossetti with illustrations by Florence Harrison.djvu/49

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Goblin Market
13

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 voice and stir
Poor Laura could not hear;
Longed to buy fruit to comfort her,
But feared to pay too dear.
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.


Till Laura dwindling
Seemed knocking at Death's door:
Then Lizzie weighed no more
Better and worse; But put a silver penny in her purse,
Kissed Laura, crossed 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.


Laughed every goblin
When they spied her peeping:
Came towards her hobbling,

Flying, running, leaping,