Christina Rossetti: Poems

Christina Rossetti: Poems Glossary

aureole

a circle of light surrounding something, usually in the context of sacred art

beck

a mountain stream

bower

a pleasant shaded place in a garden or a wood

cherubim and seraphim

angels

clad

dressed

clomb

archaic past participle of climb

cloven

split in two

cloy

to sicken with an excess of sweetness

dais

seat of honor or throne

demur

to raise doubts or show reluctance

drouth

poetic form of drought

fickle

changing frequently

fleurs-de-lys

a stylized lily; former royal arms of France

furze

evergreen shrub

girt

fastened

glen

a narrow valley

halcyon

calm, peaceful

hoary

grayish white

hodden

a coarse, woolen cloth

incarnate

embodied in human form

lark

small songbird

lave

to wash

livid

dark bluish gray color; furiously angry

loth

reluctant, unwilling

mien

a person's look or manner

nigh

near

obstreperously

in a disruptive and boisterous manner

paltry

small or meager

pate

a person's head

pellucid

clear

pinion

outer part of a bird's wing, including flight feathers

purloin

to steal something

slake

to satisfy (thirst)

tarry

to delay

vair

bluish-gray squirrel fur

wane

to grow smaller

warble

to sing like a bird

weft

in weaving, the crosswise threads on a loom