In her narrative poem Goblin Market, Christina Rossetti tells a story of two sisters tempted by fruit. It's not just any fruit: it's fruit sold by goblins in the evening at a marketplace near the girls' house, and according to Rossetti's description (and the girls' reaction to it), it's otherworldly, extra-juicy, incredibly delicious fruit.
Let's look at some of the phrases the poet uses to describe the fruit:
Plump unpeck’d cherries,Melons and raspberries,Bloom-down-cheek’d peaches,Swart-headed mulberries,Wild free-born cranberries,
Our grapes fresh from the vine,Pomegranates full and fine,Dates and sharp bullaces,Rare pears and greengages,Damsons and bilberries,Taste them and try:Currants and gooseberries,Bright-fire-like barberries,Figs to fill your mouth,Citrons from the South,Sweet to tongue and sound to eye;Come buy, come buy.
She dropp’d a tear more rare than pearl,Then suck’d their fruit globes fair or red:Sweeter than honey from the rock,Stronger than man-rejoicing wine,Clearer than water flow’d that juice;She never tasted such before,How should it cloy with length of use?She suck’d and suck’d and suck’d the moreFruits which that unknown orchard bore;She suck’d until her lips were sore
Needless to say, this isn't your average experience of eating a fruit salad for lunch. Laura's feasting on the fruit is practically a moment of ecstasy.
Further Reading
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