Ashley MS 1364 (1)

C. G. Rossetti Notebooks. 17 June-13 Dec. 1856. The text is written on both sides of thirty eight leaves of ruled blue wove paper, and on one side only of two further leaves (ff. 21, 40). No watermark. There is an index on f. 40b. The principal revisions and additions to the text of the poems are as follows:

(a) Extensive revisions and deletions by Christina in 'The Chiefest among ten thousand', of which stanzas 1, 8 and 15 were first printed in Time Flies, 1885, pp. 79, 80, and 'A fight over the body of Homer', first printed in Poems, 1890, pp. 107-118, as 'The Lowest Room'. ff. 1b-5, 18-28b;

(b) Deletions by W. M. Rossetti in 'Look on this picture and on this' and 'Sir Winter', first printed, the latter as 'Winter', in New Poems, 1896, pp. 103-107 and 112, 113. ff. 5-12b, 35b-36b;

(c) Comments in the hand of D. G. Rossetti, viz.:―'Might be shortened' at the beginning of 'The Chiefest among ten thousand' and 'wont do' opposite the rhyme 'linger/syringa' in the second stanza of 'Till thou return'.

The latter poem was first printed as 'Gone Before' in New Poems, pp. 108, 109. ff. 1b, 13. Six pages are missing, viz.:―41, 42 (of which the stub remains, numbered f. 21), containing stanzas 23-28 (as printed) of 'A fight over the body of Homer', and 65-68 (of which the stubs remain, numbered ff. 33, 34), containing a lost poem entitled 'After Sunset', and all but the last two stanzas of 'An Answer'. These stanzas are printed in L. M. Packer, Christina Rossetti, 1963, p. 105, where they are wrongly described as being part of 'After Sunset'. In the original covers, rebacked, and numbered '7' on f. i.

Octavo; ff. i+40.

includes:

• ff. 1, 1b Christina Georgina Rossetti, poet: Poetry ENGLISH: Poem, `A bed of forgetmenots', by Christina Georgina Rossetti: 1856: Autogr. fair copy.
• ff. 1b-5 Christina Georgina Rossetti, poet: Poetry ENGLISH: Poem, `The Chiefest among Ten Thousand', by Christina Georgina Rossetti: 1856: Autogr. fair copy, with revisions.
• ff. 5-12b Christina Georgina Rossetti, poet: Poetry ENGLISH: Poem, `Look on this picture and on this', by Christina Georgina Rossetti: 1856: Autogr. fair copy.
• ff. 13-14 Christina Georgina Rossetti, poet: Poetry ENGLISH: Poem, `Till thou return', by Christina Georgina Rossetti: 1856: Autogr. fair copy.
• ff. 14b-15b Christina Georgina Rossetti, poet: Poetry ENGLISH: Poem, `Now they desire', by Christina Georgina Rossetti: 1856: Autogr. fair copy.
• ff. 16-17b Christina Georgina Rossetti, poet: Poetry ENGLISH: Poem, `The Hour and the Ghost', by Christina Georgina Rossetti: 1856: Autogr. fair copy.
• ff. 18-28b Christina Georgina Rossetti, poet: Poetry ENGLISH: Poem, `A Fight over the body of Homer', by Christina Georgina Rossetti: 1856: Autogr. fair copy.
• ff. 28b-30 Christina Georgina Rossetti, poet: Poetry ENGLISH: Poem, `A Christmas Carol', by Christina Georgina Rossetti: 1856: Autogr. fair copy.
• ff. 30-30b Christina Georgina Rossetti, poet: Poetry ENGLISH: Poem, `Not yours but you', by Christina Georgina Rossetti: 1856: Autogr. fair copy.
• ff. 31-32b Christina Georgina Rossetti, poet: Poetry ENGLISH: Poem, `Light Love', by Christina Georgina Rossetti: 1856: Autogr. fair copy.
• ff. 33-34 Christina Georgina Rossetti, poet: Poetry ENGLISH: Poem, `After Sunset', by Christina Georgina Rossetti: [1856]: Autogr. fair copy. Fragm.
• ff. 34b-35 Christina Georgina Rossetti, poet: Poetry ENGLISH: Poem, `An Answer', by Christina Georgina Rossetti: 1856: Autogr. fair copy. Fragm.
• ff. 35b-36b Christina Georgina Rossetti, poet: Poetry ENGLISH: Poem, `Sir Winter', by Christina Georgina Rossetti: 1856: Autogr. fair copy.
• ff. 37-39b Christina Georgina Rossetti, poet: Poetry ENGLISH: Poem, `In Advent', by Christina Georgina Rossetti: 1856: Autogr. fair copy.
• f. 40 Christina Georgina Rossetti, poet: Poetry ENGLISH: Poem, `The End of the Year', by Christina Georgina Rossetti: 1856: Autogr. fair copy.