Poem “Up-Hill” by Christina Rossetti Overview

The main characteristics that stand out to this poem are rhyme and rhythm. The poem follows an ABAB rhyme pattern throughout the poem. This means that the end of the first line rhymes with the end of the third line of each stanza. Likewise, the end of the second and fourth lines of each stanza rhyme. 

An example is as follows: “But is there for the night a resting-place? / A roof for when the slow dark hours being. / May not the darkness hide it from my face? / You cannot miss that inn.” (Rossetti, 2.1-4)

The rhyme creates an easy flow for me as a reader. The poem also seems to have two “voices” that help with the rhythm of the poem. The first and third lines of each stanza seem to be a traveller asking a question, with the third and fourth lines seemingly being the answer to each question. The back and forth create a manageable cadence in my mind while reading the poem. The poem feels as though it could be a duet sung by two singers about a journey somewhere. 

The poem seems to have a larger meaning than just a traveler journeying and looking for a place to sleep. The poem to me feels as though the traveler may be journeying through something larger or possibly even detailing the journey through life.