Lyric Poem · Nature
Later life
1Something this foggy day, a something which
2Is neither of this fog nor of today,
3Has set me dreaming of the winds that play
4Past certain cliffs, along one certain beach,
5And turn the topmost edge of waves to spray:
6Ah pleasant pebbly strand so far away,
7So out of reach while quite within my reach,
8As out of reach as India or Cathay!
9I am sick of where I am and where I am not,
10I am sick of foresight and of memory,
11I am sick of all I have and all I see,
12I am sick of self, and there is nothing new;
13Oh weary impatient patience of my lot!
14Thus with myself: how fares it, Friends, with you?
Full-text availability follows the United States display decision recorded below; status can differ elsewhere.
“Later life” by Christina Rossetti — quilloak.com/poems/later-life
Quick facts
- Poem
- Later life
- Poet
- Christina Rossetti
- Length
- 14 lines
- Form
- Lyric Poem
- Themes
- Nature, Friendship, Dreams & Sleep
Craft notes
How this poem works
Measured from the text on this page, not copied from a summary. Counts are approximate: syllables and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, which models General American English, so dialect, older pronunciation, and performance can all change what you hear.
- Shape
- 14 lines · one 14-line stanza
- Line length
- Lines run 10-12 syllables (median 10), consistent with pentameter. No single length dominates, which is normal once elision and contraction are in play.
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Text, source & rights
A traceable edition
Full-text display is based on the committed source record and a United States term-expiry review.
- Author record
- Christina Rossetti1830–1894
- Source record
- PoetryDBLater life by christina-rossetti, PoetryDB transcription
- Display decision
- Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
- Publication record
- Not recorded in the imported source
- Text fingerprint
- SHA-256 de9bec87a4be4ae9…
- Editorial handling
- Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.