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I wish I could remember that first day,
First hour, first moment of your meeting me,
If bright or dim the season, it might be
Summer or Winter for aught I can say;
So unrecorded did it slip away,
So blind was I to see and to foresee,
So dull to mark the budding of my tree
That would not blossom for many a May.
If only I could recollect it, such
A day of days! I let it come and go
As traceless as a thaw of bygone snow;
It seemed to mean so little, meant so much;
If only now I could recall that touch,
First touch of hand in hand—Did one but know!
This poem is in the public domain.
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Christina Rossetti (1830 - 1894) was born in England to a family of great literary and artistic talent. A beauty who frequently modeled for her brother Dante and other respected artists of her day, Christina began writing as a child and published her first poem at eighteen. A kind-hearted woman who spent many years as a charity volunteer, Christina’s devout faith was often a central theme in the three books of poetry and four books of devotions she wrote during her life. Though her poems show up consistently in contemporary films, television shows, and musical compositions, her most familiar work is “In the Bleak Midwinter,” which, when set to music, became a beloved Christmas carol.
 
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Tracers645:
So beautiful. I just want to read it over and over.
Posted 02/08/2022 07:21 PM
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KinVT:
Today, Im enjoying the comments below as much as the poem. Love definitely touches the poet heart in everyone. Dont you think? With that, Ill share my first personal reaction to this poem: well, Christina, what a whipper-snapper (spelling??!) , were there so many? You go girl!! & Im glad she found the one
Now, back outside with me to shovel more snow.
Posted 02/05/2022 01:21 PM
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wordartdjc:
Isn't it wonderful that the feelings of this woman and ours of today are so very similar...and why isn't the intellect exactly the same today as it was then?
I do know exactly when I first felt the quiet 'quiver of excitement and love in the high school hallway between classes when I winked at my dearest one and knew somehow this was to be the man I would love forever. Fifty-five years of a beautiful marriage. What more could we ask?
Posted 02/05/2022 11:26 AM
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richard.cary@att.net:
Ah, poetry!!!!
Posted 02/05/2022 11:13 AM
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KevinArnold:
Oh my. First touch of hand in hand. Great find.
Posted 02/05/2022 10:29 AM
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forrsher2:
I set this to music which was performed by the Spartanburg, SC, Festival Chorus. It's not a great recording, but I may be able to forward the audio file to anyone interested. Contact me at fellowbill@bellsouth.net.
Posted 02/05/2022 09:59 AM
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Michael:
Fabulous sonnet!
Posted 02/05/2022 09:11 AM
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cork:
September 12, 1957!
Posted 02/05/2022 09:03 AM
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Gilbert Allen:
"As traceless as a thaw of bygone snow" is a lovely line.
Posted 02/05/2022 08:55 AM
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Darrell Arnold:
The more times I read it, the more I find surprising rhymes in surprising places. Forget metering. It reminds me of jazz.
Posted 02/05/2022 08:20 AM
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MLove:
Beautiful. I DO remember!
Posted 02/05/2022 08:00 AM
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Nicholas:
Sublime regret and intense reality magnified into a harmonious whole.
Posted 02/05/2022 05:18 AM
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