Uphill
Does the road wind up-hill all the way?
Yes, to the very end.
Will the day's journey take the whole long day?
From morn to night, my friend.
But is there for the night a resting-place?
A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.
May not the darkness hide it from my face?
You cannot miss that inn.
Shall I meet other wayfarers at night?
Those who have gone before.
Then must I knock, or call when just in sight?
They will not keep you standing at that door.
Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?
Of labour you shall find the sum.
Will there be beds for me and all who seek?
Yea, beds for all who come.
Commentary
Well, Thomas and I seem to have synched index numbers :) We apologize for the inconvenience.
Again, there is very little to say about this poem - it speaks for itself. Like most of Rossetti’s poems, it is characterized by a simple, lyrical style and a twilight-steeped atmosphere; note also the mildly unusual, but effective ‘conversational’ style.
This was, incidentally, the poem that first won Rossetti favourable public attention.
— Martin