Living
Pastime
From A Pageant and Other Poems (1881)
Living
A boat amid the ripples, drifting, rocking,
Two idle people, without pause or aim;
While in the ominous west there gathers darkness
Flushed with flame.
A haycock in a hayfield backing, lapping,
Two drowsy people pillowed round about;
While in the ominous west across the darkness
Flame leaps out.
Better a wrecked life than a life so aimless,
Better a wrecked life than a life so soft;
The ominous west glooms thundering, with its fire
Lit aloft.
Cite this poem
MLA
Rossetti, Christina. “Pastime.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/rossetti_c/380/.
Chicago
Rossetti, Christina. “Pastime.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/rossetti_c/380/.
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