Fruits for sale!

"For there is no friend like a sister,
In calm or stormy weather,
To cheer one on the tedious way,
To fetch one if one goes astray,
To lift one if one totters down,
To strengthen whilst one stands."

Goblin market by Christina Rossetti is a lovely little primer with whimsical and delicate imagery and delightful wordplays and usages. After struggling to make it through a tedious introduction by Germaine Greer in the 1975 edition I obtained, I finally skipped ahead to the actual poetry and enjoyed it well.

The poem moves jauntily through a plot of a gormless sister driven by her desires to commerce with the goblins, and her sister's beatific and careful efforts to redeem her. To my dear friends and their daughters - take a chance with this book, have you the chance to do so.

For beautifully colored imaghes and further analysis, see
Rates of (Ex)Change: The Goblin Market and Voodoo Accounting by Helen Pilinovsky