Poetry Archives

A continuing selection of classic and contemporary poems.

Christina Rossetti

Roses on a brier,
  Pearls from out the bitter sea,
Such is earth’s desire
  However pure it be.

Neither bud nor brier,
  Neither pearl nor brine for me:
Be stilled, my long desire;
  There shall be no more sea.

Be stilled, my passionate heart;
  Old earth shall end, new earth shall be;
Be still, and earn thy part
  Where shall be no more sea.

Online text © 1998-2009 Poetry X. All rights reserved.
From Verses | 1893

What are tags?
Tags, sometimes called “folksonomies,” are words that describe or categorize a poem, like “20th century modernism” or “Italian sonnet”. Tags can help you find poems that have something in common, based on how other people classify them.

« Previous