Blessed Damozel:-

In the middle of the nineteenth century English painting had become dead and stereotyped. The typical works
exhibited annually at the Royal academy, were studies of historical subjects, which followed a tradition and lacked the
freshness of individual feeling or of actual contact with nature. So, a group of young people revolted against this and
formed a new group namely the Pre Raphaelite brotherhood. The group is mainly formed with J.E Millais, William
Holman Hunt and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Their chief aim was to sweep away the dust of traditionalized sophistication
which had been accumulating over the century in the field of painting. Rossetti and some other members of the Pre
Raphaelite Brotherhood were both painters and poet. So this movement is felt in the field of poetry also. They abjured
all unrealistic method and exalted photographic representationalism in poetry. According To W.R Goodman “they
depended upon their own eyes and painted every object with great pains”. In their poetry they have painted every blade
of grass very minutely. In the Blessed Damozel we can see this kind of painting with beautiful words and harmonious
sounds.

The key-note of Pre-Raphalite poetry is word painting. Rossetti’s poetic genius is remarkably stuck with pictorial art. The
Blessed Damozel shows gloryingly how he could draw lively and lovely picture by the power of his verse. His Plastic
imagination and superb sensuousness marked all over the poem. The poet seems to feel and think in pigments here.
None but a painter could have given such a tailing portrait of the Blessed Virgin, leaning out of the golden verse of
heaven.

The picture here is lively and simply reminds us one of a painting. Equally life like is Rossetti’s description of the
Damozel’s dress and her hair. The detailed description of the Damozel’s dress and her long yellow hair is presented as if
shown in a real portrait. In the description of the rampant of God’s house, the sun, the earth and the moon the poet
portrays a religious medieval view. The damozel was standing on the rampart of Gods house which marks the beginning
of the infinite space. As she looked below she could see the sun as a flaming speck. Here we can find Rossetti’s cult for
medievalism.

The god’s house is in heaven. it stretches out like a bridge over the either. Looking far below one can see the light of the
day and the darkness of the night rising and falling like sea waves. Down below the earth flutters like an insect. Then the
poet describes the new crescent moon as a feather. It proves his true artistic vision.

The Blessed Damozel imagines that when her lover comes to heaven, she will take him to the deep wells of light. Then
he will take him to shrine of God where lamps are illuminated by the prayer of mankind. Here the poet portrays a
beautiful religious picture with words. The poet ends with another beautiful religious picture where a dove calls the
name of God with respect. Here the poet presents his sensuousness.

Blessed Damozel contains all the elements of Pre-Raphaelite poetry. It is picturesque, sensuous, visionary and at the
same time spiritual and devotional. In this poetry we get a true example of Rossetti’s pictorial art. Here Rossetti presents
Dantesque heaven without any hail to spoil it.