The Blessed Damozel(1846-1847) is representing a unique case in which Rossetti first composes the poem and after decades he painted it (Fig. 16). The early version of the poem was published in The Germ magazine in 1850 while more elaborated version of the text became an opening poem of the collection from 1870.
Rossetti wrote The Blessed Damozel at the age of 19 and it combines his concerns with women, religious and the Dantean legacy. One of the inspirational sources of the poem was Allan Poe’s The Raven, as he mention in a letter to his friend Hall Caine:
“I saw that Poe had done the utmost it was possible to do with the grief of the lover on earth, and so I determined to reverse the conditions, and give utterance to the yearning of the …show more content…
As described in the text she is holding three white lilies, has a halo of stars around her head but only six of them are visible while the poem states that there are seven of them“they are laid down in the form of the Pleiades. In the picture the missing ofthe seventh recalls Merope , ‘the lost Pleiade,’ who was cast out of the classical heavens for having fallen in love with a mortal man” and she is surrounded by roses. Lilies are symbols of innocence, chastity, hope and purity. Roses most usually symbolize love and tenderness. The background is made up by a romantic nature full of roses and trees on the horizon. There are many couples in amorous embrace, kissing and cuddling. Also in Rossetti’s poem appear couples of lovers, especially in the seventh stanza: “Around her, lovers, newly met / Mid deathless love’s acclaims” (lines …show more content…
The poem has a romantic atmosphere of image of two lovers separated from each other but united by thoughts. “The Blessed Damozel” depicts the theme of isolation, the desire of an isolated, separated lover to achieve unity with the beloved.
The second version of the painting accomplished in 1879 (Fig.17 ) is identical in composition just simplified in certain aspects. The middle one of the three angel figures is missing, the background is taking less space and the embracing lovers were substituted by infant angels. The Blessed Damozel remains Rossetti’s most famous and celebrated work.
The pictures of course have their own integral meanings, but they should also be seen as “readings” of their previous texts. The composite body of texts and images makes up a closely integrated network of
Rossetti wrote The Blessed Damozel at the age of 19 and it combines his concerns with women, religious and the Dantean legacy. One of the inspirational sources of the poem was Allan Poe’s The Raven, as he mention in a letter to his friend Hall Caine:
“I saw that Poe had done the utmost it was possible to do with the grief of the lover on earth, and so I determined to reverse the conditions, and give utterance to the yearning of the …show more content…
As described in the text she is holding three white lilies, has a halo of stars around her head but only six of them are visible while the poem states that there are seven of them“they are laid down in the form of the Pleiades. In the picture the missing ofthe seventh recalls Merope , ‘the lost Pleiade,’ who was cast out of the classical heavens for having fallen in love with a mortal man” and she is surrounded by roses. Lilies are symbols of innocence, chastity, hope and purity. Roses most usually symbolize love and tenderness. The background is made up by a romantic nature full of roses and trees on the horizon. There are many couples in amorous embrace, kissing and cuddling. Also in Rossetti’s poem appear couples of lovers, especially in the seventh stanza: “Around her, lovers, newly met / Mid deathless love’s acclaims” (lines …show more content…
The poem has a romantic atmosphere of image of two lovers separated from each other but united by thoughts. “The Blessed Damozel” depicts the theme of isolation, the desire of an isolated, separated lover to achieve unity with the beloved.
The second version of the painting accomplished in 1879 (Fig.17 ) is identical in composition just simplified in certain aspects. The middle one of the three angel figures is missing, the background is taking less space and the embracing lovers were substituted by infant angels. The Blessed Damozel remains Rossetti’s most famous and celebrated work.
The pictures of course have their own integral meanings, but they should also be seen as “readings” of their previous texts. The composite body of texts and images makes up a closely integrated network of