Poem Review: ‘Goblin Market’ by Christina Rossetti - "When I Am Dead, My Dearest, Sing No Sad Songs for Me"

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"She dropped a tear more rare than pearl,

Then sucked their fruit globes fair or red:

Sweeter than honey from the rock,

Stronger than man-rejoicing wine,

Clearer than water flowed that juice;

She never tasted such before,

How should it cloy with length of use?

She sucked and sucked and sucked the more

Fruits which that unknown orchard bore;

She sucked until her lips were sore;

Then flung the emptied rinds away..."

Introduction

Originally published - 1862

Author - Christina Rossetti

Genres - Classic Literature, Poetry, Religious, Fantasy, Gothic Poetry, Fiction

Original language - English

Adaptations - Goblin Market

Synopsis - Non-Spoiler Alert!

Who would have thought that 'fruit conversation' could become so evocative of so many different things! Oh my goodness!

Writer’s Commentary - Masterpiece. Enough said.

Elevator Pitch

I completely understand why this would have caused such a stir in 1859. It doesn't wax poetic about religion or morality, but it does speak of the underlying desire and torment that comes with sex. Both socially and internally. To be sure, it never explicitly says so, but reading it any other way in time becomes a drag and a bore. So go ahead and read it, my darlings, but do so with a lusty heart.

It's a hypnotherapy poem about temptation, salivation, and salvation through sacrifices, told in contrasts: a smart sister and a weak-willed sister; exquisite fruit from horrendous goblins. It's suitable for reading to or by children, but as an adult, it's impossible to escape the sensual oblique references, which begin on the first page, with the goblins' irresistible fare including "plump unpecked cherries."

The whole narrative drips with ripe fruit juice and the seductive voices of the terrible goblins seeking to sell it.

The Poet’s Credit Corner

Image Credit: Gabriel Dubois

Christina Rossetti was a 19th-century English poet who also was a member of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. Her poems are about passion, dedication, loss, and death, with the Goblin Market being her most successful.

Christina Rosetti established a home for girls who wanted to get out of prostitution. Literary critics point out the obvious use of sexual imagery and metaphor in this poem. Though it was denied by the author.

I was pleasantly surprised at her bluntness and lyricism. Her words are straightforward, however they enchant and make you feel like you're in a natural, magical world. They really seemed to work upon several levels, both metaphorically and directly.

Running Straight into the Poem

On the surface, this poem appears to be a fairy tale, and I am certain that if you read it to children, you would not have to clarify what incest, orgy, abuse, cunnilingus, or fellatio mean.

For them, this will simply be the storey of two maiden sisters named Laura and Lizzie and the wicked goblin men who relentlessly tempted them to buy and consume their delicious fruits prior to that one day. Ah that’s already enough for the spoiler!

Image Credit: Goodreads

“Come and kiss me.

Never mind my bruises,

Hug me, kiss me, suck my juices

Squeezed from goblin fruits for you,

Goblin pulp and goblin dew.

Eat me, drink me, love me;

Laura, make much of me;”

This was an exciting poem that could be read in a range of ways. Personally, I interpreted it as a message that Victorian women conduct like ladies and avoid the advances of men who are only interested in them for sex. As a result, the men are awful, and they are depicted as Goblins. 

This effect was caused by them attempting to persuade the women to try their fruit at the market, which was a metaphor for them attempting to persuade women to taste their bosom.

Analyzing the Themes and Metaphorical Aspects

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Dear, you should not stay so late, 

Twilight is not good for maidens. 

-Lizzie

When you delve further into the poem, you'll notice that it doesn't have a single credible and concrete meaning, Rather it’s quite ambiguous.

The Goblin Market functions both as a representation of Goblins attempting to sell questionable fruit to a woman and as a representative of men attempting to use women for their sexuality (a subject that became important during the Victorian era, when women's positions in society started to shift and the power structure between women and men were questioned).

In addition, there seem to be traces of lesbianism, but I'm not sure what the point of this is. Is the poet attempting to make the case that women are better off together? Or is she implying that maybe they should marry the Goblin men? Either way you look at it, the sexual overtones are obvious and unmistakable. As a result, the poem is beautifully dense in its real context and is a delight to read.

However, this will only be one perspective on the poem; there are also religious echoes as a result of one of the girls wanting to redeem and cleanse herself after drinking the forbidden fruit juice. Of course, this implies that she has had her way with one of the Goblin men and regrets it.

Image Credit: Ulysses Rare Books

Tore her gown and soil'd her stocking, / ... / ... / 

Held her hands and squeez'd their fruits

Against her mouth to make her eat.

Lizzie utter'd not a word;

Would not open lip from lip

Lest they should cram a mouthful in. 

 

In the context of the poem, sin is associated with sexuality and lust and how it can consume a person; note that Laura gave her lock of hair, which can be interpreted as selling your body, i.e. prostitution. As you can see, there is indeed a parallel to the Bible and the Book of Genesis, but with elements from Rossetti's era that make it a cautionary tale.

Chastity was essential for a Victorian woman – that woman who lost her purity in some way (even through force) is labeled a fallen woman and is shunned and ostracised. The mere idea that a woman might have a sexual desire was disgraceful. 

This is where Rossetti's Goblin Market comes into play. Imagine a poem in which the fallen woman has a chance for repentance, in which losing her virginity does not mark the end of her social life – a poem that encourages female solidarity and forgiveness, it's worth reading and analyzing.

The Bottom Line

She writes in a way that makes you feel as if you're sitting under a tree on a hot summer day with your shirt off, the wind blowing your hair and the hair follicles around your belly and chest, and the sun warming your body; a lover lying on breast with hair splayed and soft on your skin.

I would encourage people to read this work and think about it. Maybe look for an analysis because this is one of the best poems I've read in a long time, and I realize it's criminally underappreciated.

My ratings for the poem - 5 on 5

Read the poem online - Goblin Market

Get your copy of selected poems from Amazon - Goblin Market 

Written By - Prakriti Chaudhary