“Cousin Kate” is a dramatic monologue by the British poet Christina Rossetti. Rossetti wrote “Cousin Kate” while she was a volunteer at the St. Mary Magdalene house for "fallen women," a derogatory 19th-century term for supposedly unchaste women (such as unmarried mothers and sex workers). The poem is told from the perspective of one such woman, who is seduced by a powerful lord and bears his child out of wedlock. "Cousin Kate" is specifically addressed to the speaker's cousin, who marries the lord despite his mistreatment of the speaker. Like many of the other poems included in Rossetti's first and most famous book of poetry, Goblin Market and Other Poems, "Cousin Kate" explores the hypocrisy of gender roles and the dangers of temptation.
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The Full Text of “Cousin Kate”
1I was a cottage maiden
2Hardened by sun and air
3Contented with my cottage mates,
4Not mindful I was fair.
5Why did a great lord find me out,
6And praise my flaxen hair?
7Why did a great lord find me out,
8To fill my heart with care?
9He lured me to his palace home -
10Woe's me for joy thereof-
11To lead a shameless shameful life,
12His plaything and his love.
13He wore me like a silken knot,
14He changed me like a glove;
15So now I moan, an unclean thing,
16Who might have been a dove.
17O Lady kate, my cousin Kate,
18You grew more fair than I:
19He saw you at your father's gate,
20Chose you, and cast me by.
21He watched your steps along the lane,
22Your work among the rye;
23He lifted you from mean estate
24To sit with him on high.
25Because you were so good and pure
26He bound you with his ring:
27The neighbors call you good and pure,
28Call me an outcast thing.
29Even so I sit and howl in dust,
30You sit in gold and sing:
31Now which of us has tenderer heart?
32You had the stronger wing.
33O cousin Kate, my love was true,
34Your love was writ in sand:
35If he had fooled not me but you,
36If you stood where I stand,
37He'd not have won me with his love
38Nor bought me with his land;
39I would have spit into his face
40And not have taken his hand.
41Yet I've a gift you have not got,
42And seem not like to get:
43For all your clothes and wedding-ring
44I've little doubt you fret.
45My fair-haired son, my shame, my pride,
46Cling closer, closer yet:
47Your father would give his lands for one
48To wear his coronet.
The Full Text of “Cousin Kate”
1I was a cottage maiden
2Hardened by sun and air
3Contented with my cottage mates,
4Not mindful I was fair.
5Why did a great lord find me out,
6And praise my flaxen hair?
7Why did a great lord find me out,
8To fill my heart with care?
9He lured me to his palace home -
10Woe's me for joy thereof-
11To lead a shameless shameful life,
12His plaything and his love.
13He wore me like a silken knot,
14He changed me like a glove;
15So now I moan, an unclean thing,
16Who might have been a dove.
17O Lady kate, my cousin Kate,
18You grew more fair than I:
19He saw you at your father's gate,
20Chose you, and cast me by.
21He watched your steps along the lane,
22Your work among the rye;
23He lifted you from mean estate
24To sit with him on high.
25Because you were so good and pure
26He bound you with his ring:
27The neighbors call you good and pure,
28Call me an outcast thing.
29Even so I sit and howl in dust,
30You sit in gold and sing:
31Now which of us has tenderer heart?
32You had the stronger wing.
33O cousin Kate, my love was true,
34Your love was writ in sand:
35If he had fooled not me but you,
36If you stood where I stand,
37He'd not have won me with his love
38Nor bought me with his land;
39I would have spit into his face
40And not have taken his hand.
41Yet I've a gift you have not got,
42And seem not like to get:
43For all your clothes and wedding-ring
44I've little doubt you fret.
45My fair-haired son, my shame, my pride,
46Cling closer, closer yet:
47Your father would give his lands for one
48To wear his coronet.
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“Cousin Kate” Summary
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“Cousin Kate” Themes
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Gender, Morality, and Hypocrisy
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Lust, Love, and Temptation
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Cousin Kate”
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Lines 1-4
I was a cottage maiden
Hardened by sun and air
Contented with my cottage mates,
Not mindful I was fair. -
Lines 5-8
Why did a great lord find me out,
And praise my flaxen hair?
Why did a great lord find me out,
To fill my heart with care? -
Lines 9-12
He lured me to his palace home -
Woe's me for joy thereof-
To lead a shameless shameful life,
His plaything and his love. -
Lines 13-16
He wore me like a silken knot,
He changed me like a glove;
So now I moan, an unclean thing,
Who might have been a dove. -
Lines 17-20
O Lady kate, my cousin Kate,
You grew more fair than I:
He saw you at your father's gate,
Chose you, and cast me by. -
Lines 21-24
He watched your steps along the lane,
Your work among the rye;
He lifted you from mean estate
To sit with him on high. -
Lines 25-28
Because you were so good and pure
He bound you with his ring:
The neighbors call you good and pure,
Call me an outcast thing. -
Lines 29-32
Even so I sit and howl in dust,
You sit in gold and sing:
Now which of us has tenderer heart?
You had the stronger wing. -
Lines 33-36
O cousin Kate, my love was true,
Your love was writ in sand:
If he had fooled not me but you,
If you stood where I stand, -
Lines 37-40
He'd not have won me with his love
Nor bought me with his land;
I would have spit into his face
And not have taken his hand. -
Lines 41-44
Yet I've a gift you have not got,
And seem not like to get:
For all your clothes and wedding-ring
I've little doubt you fret. -
Lines 45-48
My fair-haired son, my shame, my pride,
Cling closer, closer yet:
Your father would give his lands for one
To wear his coronet.
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“Cousin Kate” Symbols
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Birds
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Clothing and Accessories
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Gift
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“Cousin Kate” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Anaphora
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Antithesis
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Apostrophe
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Assonance
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Chiasmus
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Consonance
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Metaphor
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Metonymy
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Paradox
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Parallelism
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Repetition
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Rhetorical Question
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Simile
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“Cousin Kate” 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.
- Maiden
- Hardened
- Fair
- Flaxen
- Silken knot
- Moan
- Dove
- Cast me by
- Rye
- Mean estate
- On high
- Wing
- Writ
- Like
- Fret
- Fair-haired
- Coronet
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- See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Cousin Kate”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Cousin Kate” Speaker
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“Cousin Kate” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Cousin Kate”
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More “Cousin Kate” Resources
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External Resources
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Gender and Sexuality in the 19th Century — A collection of articles on gender and sexuality in the Victorian era, written by a biographer of Christina Rossetti and Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
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In Our Time: Christina Rossetti — A 45-minute podcast episode in which literary scholars discuss Rossetti's life and work for BBC Radio 4.
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The Oxford Movement — The Wikipedia page for the Oxford Movement, including a list of associated figures.
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Rossetti's Biography — An in-depth account of of Rossetti's life, including a detailed discussion of her writings and links to many of her poems.
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A Reading — A reading of "Cousin Kate" on YouTube.
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Art Term: Pre-Raphaelites — A brief, straightforward overview of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood from the Tate Museum.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Christina Rossetti
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