'Up-hill' - Synopsis and commentary

Synopsis

The speaker is a traveller who questions a guide about the journey that s/he is on. S/he asks and receives answers, about whether:

The journey will ‘wind up-hill all the way' (line 1) and take all day (yes)
S/he will recognise the place to rest (it is impossible to miss it)
There will be others on the journey (yes)
A kind reception awaits (a ready welcome, with comfortable beds for everyone).

Investigating Up-hill

Up-hill was immensely popular with early readers. Why do you think that so many people enjoyed this particular poem?
What do you think that the poem is about?

Commentary

Publication

Rossetti composed Up-hill in 1858 and first published it in Macmillan's Magazine in 1861. The following year, she used it to conclude the section of non-devotional poetry that forms the first half of Goblin Market and Other Poems.

Up-hill was the first poem that Rossetti contributed to the magazine but, after its publication, she contributed several more. By having samples of her work printed in periodicals such as Macmillan's Magazine, Rossetti widened her readership significantly.

More on periodicals: Macmillan's Magazine was founded in 1859 and was one of the most significant literary and intellectual periodicals of the Victorian era. A periodical is a magazine which is issued at regular intervals throughout the year. The Victorian period saw a rise in the publication and readership of periodicals as literacy widened and the growing middle classes had more leisure time.

Periodicals often contained serialised fiction, poetry, articles and reviews. Rossetti wrote poetry for several literary and intellectual periodicals during her career.

Ambiguity

Up-hill's ambiguity has meant that it has been widely discussed and analysed. The insistent questioning of the speaker coupled with an uncertainty about how readers are to interpret the answers that are given means bringing to the poem one's own experiences and beliefs. For instance, the ‘inn' and the ‘beds' (lines 8, 16) can be understood in various ways.

Travelling

The speaker's journey can be interpreted in several ways:

It can be seen as the journey from life to death. Throughout her poetry, Rossetti uses the image of day to symbolise life and night to symbolise death. Considering that the traveller is contemplating a journey from ‘morn to night' (line 6), this reading can be understood in the context of Rossetti's devotional poems
It can be seen as the journey of life. It is possible that the speaker is asking whether life will get any easier once more experience has been gained
It could be understood to indicate the journey that some believe everyone faces after death. This reading corresponds with the doctrine of purgatory.

More on purgatory: For centuries, Catholics have believed that there are three realms that souls can go to after death: heaven, hell and purgatory. They taught that purgatory is a place that souls go in order to prepare for heaven and receive cleansing for their sins. The fact that Up-hill speaks of ‘beds for all who come' (line 16) suggests that the destination of the journey of the speaker is not simply heaven but is instead a place of waiting. However, the notion of rest does not fit smoothly into the idea of receiving punishment.

Wayfarers

The traveller asks whether she shall meet ‘other wayfarers at night' as she travels. The word ‘wayfarer' means traveller and is used to describe those who travel on road by foot.

The sum of labour

The traveller is told that, when she reaches the inn, she will ‘find the sum' of her ‘labour' (line 14). The idea that rest from the difficult labours of life can be found beyond the grave is one that the New Testament writer John considers in Revelation, the last book of the Bible.

Then I heard a voice from heaven say, ‘Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on'.
'Yes', says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labour, for their deeds will follow them'. Revelation 14:13 TNIV

Investigating Up-hill

What are the difficulties and dangers of travelling long distances on foot?
- In these circumstances, how comforting is it to meet other people who are in the same situation?
With which of the speaker's questions do you most sympathise?
How comforting are the answers she receives, do you think?

English Standard Version
King James Version

¹Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. ²And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, ³and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. ⁴It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, ⁵and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless. ⁶Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. ⁷And he said with a loud voice, Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water. ⁸Another angel, a second, followed, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality. ⁹And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, ¹⁰he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. ¹¹And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name. ¹²Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. ¹³And I heard a voice from heaven saying, Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Blessed indeed, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them! ¹⁴Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. ¹⁵And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe. ¹⁶So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped. ¹⁷Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. ¹⁸And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe. ¹⁹So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. ²⁰And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia.

¹And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. ²And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: ³And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. ⁴These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. ⁵And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God. ⁶And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, ⁷Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. ⁸And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. ⁹And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, ¹⁰The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: ¹¹And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. ¹²Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. ¹³And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. ¹⁴And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. ¹⁵And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. ¹⁶And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. ¹⁷And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. ¹⁸And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. ¹⁹And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. ²⁰And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

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