O love, love, hold me fast,
He draws me away from thee;
I cannot stem the blast,
Nor the cold strong sea:
Far away a light shines
Beyond the hills and pines;
It is lit for me.
Bridegroom
I have thee close, my dear,
No terror can come near;
Only far off the northern light shines clear.
Ghost
Come with me, fair and false,
To our home, come home.
It is my voice that calls:
Once thou wast not afraid
When I woo’d, and said,
‘Come, our nest is newly made’—
Now cross the tossing foam.
Bride
Hold me one moment longer!
He taunts me with the past,
His clutch is waxing stronger;
Hold me fast, hold me fast.
He draws me from thy heart,
And I cannot withhold:
He bids my spirit depart
With him into the cold:—
Oh bitter vows of old!
Bridegroom
Lean on me, hide thine eyes:
Only ourselves, earth and skies,
Are present here: be wise.
Ghost
Lean on me, come away,
I will guide and steady:
Come, for I will not stay:
Come, for house and bed are ready.
Ah sure bed and house,
For better and worse, for life and death,
Goal won with shortened breath!
Come, crown our vows.
Bride
One moment, one more word,
While my heart beats still,
While my breath is stirred
By my fainting will.
O friend, forsake me not,
Forget not as I forgot:
But keep thy heart for me,
Keep thy faith true and bright;
Through the lone cold winter night
Perhaps I may come to thee.
Bridegroom
Nay peace, my darling, peace:
Let these dreams and terrors cease:
Who spoke of death or change or aught but ease?
Ghost
O fair frail sin,
O poor harvest gathered in!
Thou shalt visit him again
To watch his heart grow cold:
To know the gnawing pain
I knew of old;
To see one much more fair
Fill up the vacant chair,
Fill his heart, his children bear;
While thou and I together,
In the outcast weather,
Toss and howl and spin.
Credits
Christina Georgina Rossetti was a 19th-century English poet associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, celebrated for her devotional verse, ballads, and explorations of longing and loss. "The Hour and the Ghost" showcases her gift for dramatic dialogue, structuring the poem as a tense three-way exchange that gives each voice — bride, bridegroom, and ghost — its own distinct pull and menace.
