RPO -- Christina Rossetti : After Communion

Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)

After Communion

1Why should I call Thee Lord, Who art my God?

2 Why should I call Thee Friend, Who are my Love?

3 Or King, Who art my very Spouse above?

4Or call Thy sceptre on my heart Thy rod?

5 Lo now Thy banner over me is love,

6All heaven flies open to me at Thy nod:

7For Thou hast lit Thy flame in me a clod,

8 Made me a nest for dwelling of Thy Dove.

9 What wilt Thou call me in our home above,

10Who now hast called me friend? how will it be

11 When Thou for good wine settest forth the best?

12Now Thou dost bid me come and sup with Thee,

13 Now Thou dost make me lean upon Thy breast:

14 How will it be with me in time of love?

Notes

5] "He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love" (Song of Solomon 2:4).

7-8] The Holy Spirit appears in the Bible as both flames and a dove.

11] This is an allusion to the wedding of Cana, where Jesus turns water into wine (John 2:1-10).

14] time of love: "Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine" (Ezekiel 16:8).

Online text copyright © 2009, Ian Lancashire (the Department of English) and the University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.

Original text: Poems of Christina Rossetti, ed. William M. Rossetti (London: Macmillan, 1904), 95.
First publication date: 1867
RPO poem editor: Marc R. Plamondon
RP edition: 2006
Recent editing: 2:2006/1/21

Composition date: 23 February 1866
Form: sonnet
Rhyme: abbabaabbcdcdb

Other poems by Christina Rossetti