The Full Text of “Up-Hill”
1Does the road wind up-hill all the way?
2 Yes, to the very end.
3Will the day's journey take the whole long day?
4 From morn to night, my friend.
5But is there for the night a resting-place?
6 A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.
7May not the darkness hide it from my face?
8 You cannot miss that inn.
9Shall I meet other wayfarers at night?
10 Those who have gone before.
11Then must I knock, or call when just in sight?
12 They will not keep you standing at that door.
13Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?
14 Of labour you shall find the sum.
15Will there be beds for me and all who seek?
16 Yea, beds for all who come.
The Full Text of “Up-Hill”
1Does the road wind up-hill all the way?
2 Yes, to the very end.
3Will the day's journey take the whole long day?
4 From morn to night, my friend.
5But is there for the night a resting-place?
6 A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.
7May not the darkness hide it from my face?
8 You cannot miss that inn.
9Shall I meet other wayfarers at night?
10 Those who have gone before.
11Then must I knock, or call when just in sight?
12 They will not keep you standing at that door.
13Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?
14 Of labour you shall find the sum.
15Will there be beds for me and all who seek?
16 Yea, beds for all who come.
-
“Up-Hill” Introduction
-
-
“Up-Hill” Summary
-
-
“Up-Hill” Themes
-
The Difficult Journey of Life
- See where this theme is active in the poem.
-
Death's Inevitability and Restfulness
- See where this theme is active in the poem.
-
-
Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Up-Hill”
-
Lines 1-4
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. -
Lines 5-8
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. -
Lines 9-12
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. -
Lines 13-16
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.
-
-
“Up-Hill” Symbols
-
The Road
- See where this symbol appears in the poem.
-
The Inn
- See where this symbol appears in the poem.
-
-
“Up-Hill” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
-
Extended Metaphor
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
End-Stopped Line
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Caesura
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Dialogue
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
-
“Up-Hill” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Morn
- Wayfarers
- Travel-sore
- Sum
-
- See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.
-
Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Up-Hill”
-
Form
-
Meter
-
Rhyme Scheme
-
-
“Up-Hill” Speaker
-
-
“Up-Hill” Setting
-
-
Literary and Historical Context of “Up-Hill”
-
-
More “Up-Hill” Resources
-
External Resources
-
The Poem Aloud — Actress Helen Mirren reads "Up-Hill."
-
The Poet's Life and Work — Read the Poetry Foundation's biography of Christina Rossetti.
-
More About the Poet — An extensive summary of Rossetti's life and career, via the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
-
The Rossetti Siblings — Learn about Christina Rossetti's working relationship with her brother, artist and poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti, along with other sibling partnerships and rivalries in literature.
-
Rossetti, Gender, and Power — A British Library feature on Rossetti and male-female power dynamics in Victorian England.
-
-
LitCharts on Other Poems by Christina Rossetti
-
