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Lyric Poem · Nature

Spring Quiet

by Christina Rossetti

Gone were but the Winter,

Come were but the Spring,

I would go to a covert

Where the birds sing;

Where in the whitethorn

Singeth a thrush,

And a robin sings

In the holly-bush.

Full of fresh scents

Are the budding boughs

Arching high over

A cool green house:

Full of sweet scents,

And whispering air

Which sayeth softly:

"We spread no snare;

"Here dwell in safety,

Here dwell alone,

With a clear stream

And a mossy stone.

"Here the sun shineth

Most shadily;

Here is heard an echo

Of the far sea,

Though far off it be."

Full-text availability follows the United States display decision recorded below; status can differ elsewhere.

Quick facts

Poem
Spring Quiet
Poet
Christina Rossetti
Length
25 lines
Form
Lyric Poem
Themes
Nature, Spring, Winter

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
25 lines · 6 stanzas of 4–5 lines
Line length
Lines run 4-6 syllables (median 5). 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
PoetryDBSpring Quiet 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 b686dcebc257fca4
Editorial handling
Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.
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