Poems of Christina Rossetti Author:Christina Georgina Rossetti General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1904 Original Publisher: Macmillan Subjects: Literary Criticism / European / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh Literary Criticism / Poetry Poetry / General Poetry / American / General Poetry / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint... more » of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: ONE CERTAINTY Vanity of vanities, the Preacher saith, All things are vanity. The eye and ear Cannot be filled with what they see and hear. Like early dew, or like the sudden breath Of wind, or like the grass that withereth, Is man, tossed to and fro by hope and fear: So little joy hath he, so little cheer, Till all things end in the long dust of death. To-day is still the same as yesterday, To-morrow also even as one of them ; And there is nothing new under the sun : Until the ancient race of Time be run, The old thorns shall grow out of the old stem, And morning shall be cold and twilight grey. A TESTIMONY I Said of laughter : it is vain. Of mirth I said : what profits it ? Therefore I found a book, and writ Therein how ease and also pain, How health and sickness, every one Is vanity beneath the sun. Man walks in a vain shadow ; he Disquieteth himself in vain. The things that were shall be again; The rivers do not fill the sea, But turn back to their secret source ; The winds too turn upon their course. Our treasures moth and rust corrupt, Or thieves break through and steal, or they Make themselves wings and fly away. One man made merry as he supped, Nor guessed how when that night grew dim His soul would be required of him. We build our houses on the sand Comely withoutside and within ; But when the winds and rains begin To beat o...« less