According to Bibleoddessey.com, there is biblical song that outlines a relationship between two lovers. The song goes as follows: "Set me as a seal upon your heart,as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If one offered for love, all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly scorned." The author of the article, Fiona C. Black writes "The Song of Songs is a series of poems about human love written in the form of a dialogue between two lovers. Throughout, the lovers speak to each other using vibrant imagery that richly evokes all the senses and powerfully conveys their love... The perception of the Songs of Songs as a story of human love is relatively recent. For much of its interpretive history, readers understood the book as an allegory for God’s relationship with Israel (Judaism) or Jesus’ relationship with the soul (Christianity)... The book does, however, culminate with a more abstract statement, which offers a universal lesson. The observation in Song 8:6-7 is a weighty one: love is as strong as death; passion is as fierce as the grave." This could have been Felicia speaking as Properzia and referencing the bible's song while seeking to find a meaning behind all her feelings and the outcome she faces. I believe this saying regards the eagerness to experience both while also being terrified of the outcome and the patience to wait it out due to impending results of the unknown.<br>

This is parallel to Ariadne's story where, Ariadne eloped Theseus, but he had no joy of her, much like Felicia Hemens is creating a story around Properzia's death to signify a greater meaning and to give a love interest into her life to make it more interesting to the reader and so it would be in sync with the story she is trying to tell of making this bas relief for someone who wouldn't really care for it.

Ariadne was a Greek mythological figure who was known to fall in love at first sight with Theseus, the son of King Aegeus. Theseus volunteered to kill the Minotaur in the labyrinth. Ariadne supplied him with a sword and a ball of thread so he could find his way out of the maze.

This sculpture is made from her meaning she put herself into this work of art and it is a part of her now.

Martinez. Michele. "Women Poets and the Sister Arts in Nineteenth-Century England." Victorian Poetry. Vol: 41, No. 4, (Winter, 2003), pp. 621-628 .JStor. (http://www.jstor.org/stable/40007039)

• Hills Orford, Emily-Jane. "Properzia de Rossi: Renaissance-Era Female Sculptor and Miniaturist." Decodedpast.com. Wordpress. 16 June, 2014. (http://decodedpast.com/properzia-de-rossi-renaissance-era-female-sculptor-miniaturist/10306)

• Swaab, Peter. "Caught in a bad romance." Daily Telegraph [London, England] 28 Aug. 2010: 26. Business Insights: Global. Web. 4. Dec. 2016. URL (http://bi.galegroup.com/global/article/GALE%7CA235832990/d9a1b6a2b04b5355c8ee5bfff415c7c3?u=upitt_main)

• Vasari, Giorgio. Lives of the Artists. Italy. Giunti. 1568. 369. (http://members.efn.org/~acd/vite/VasariProperzia.html)

• Nochlin, Linda. "Art and Sexual Politics: Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?" ArtNews. Volume: 69 (Jan. 1971), 22-39, ARTnews.com. (http://www.artnews.com/2015/05/30/why-have-there-been-no-great-women-artists/)

• Law, Helen H. “The Name Galatea in the Pygmalion Myth.” The Classical Journal. Vol: 27, No. 5 (Feb., 1932), pp. 337-342. GoogleScholar. (http://www.jstor.org/stable/3290617?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents)

She left the world, leaving a piece and memory of herself in all forms of art and music, so when the Knight hears the tune of the lyre or the whistling of the wind, he will be forced to recall the way Properzia literally became art and she now lives within nature and the way it creates itself into a harmony of sounds that radiates around the Roman Knight and he knows that every time he hears it, he will think of her and what could have been and how the sad thoughts of her haunt him because he chose to not do anything and now it's too late.

She is only remembered for the artwork she produced and she leaves the world her name to remember but she would rather be known for the love that burns within her and the dreams of the life she would have had with the Knight if he had only shared her feelings.

A musical instrument:

After she dies, then the Knight discovers what the meaning of love meant to her and how much love she had for him, but he will soon come to conclusion that it is too late, that he lost it and all he can say is that she loved him well.

Even after she died, as a spirit, she will still find a way to come back to him, as a hum in the wind. And if he were to listen to her song, he would know what was lost.

If she could only have one experience with him, she would cry and hold him and even in her sadness, she would be happy that he was the one she was sad about. She is saying that the earth gave her the gift of fame for being a woman artist, but she would have preferred the earth to give her the gift to be loved, rather than recognized.

She is saying that the Knight doesn't even understand how much of herself she put into this sculpture she gave him and how it even cost her life, and yet he can't or doesn't care to conceptualize the meaning that this must have meant to Properzia to make this for him. She was devoted to him and he could care less. He didn't even say goodbye to her before she died ("unrepaid-farewell").

Here, she is dying. "Under the silent wings of Peace to dwell" is alluding to heaven with angels (which explains the wings) and to finally dwell in peace because she believes that when her life ends, she will be free from the love that binds her mortal body to this world and makes her human. She will die in vain, which refers to someone who sacrifices themselves for a cause that ends up ultimately not working out. This is captured in the entirety of the poem where Properzia puts her whole life's work and life to an end to propagate a relationship with a man who will never love her no matter what she gives to him.

She is asking if her longing for unrequited love can be over but, like the constant blue sky in Italy, the music that will always be rich, and how the sun will always shine, her love for the Knight will stay unchanged and stagnant. She is trapped in a life of unfulfilling love.

She speaks again how she asked for his love, but the place within his bosom (heart) cannot accept her love. Properzia lives in her daydreams of this man, in a beautiful world of song, art, and the love of him. She says that what her heart beats for.

She says to give everything what it lives for, what it wants and needs; reed that cannot withstand a storm, a vine something to latch onto so it can grow, a dry flower some water, and a drunken compliment to a fair maiden. She says give all these the things they want most and yet, i am forsaken like this? My fame is worth nothing if i cannot render a suitable mate, and the one i desire the most.

No one will be bothered when she passes away or even care why she passed away. She is telling the reader that no one will know her story or the final sculpture done by her. She says the Knight will be the one who everyone cares about (maybe because he is highly coveted by other women??) and she sees this as an ironic form of mockery towards her life's work, as shes spent her whole life doing what she does best and being noticed by some artists, only to fall in love and not be noticed by the one she truly wants.

Defined by Dictionary.com as "noun

1. a tall, slender-leaved plant of the grass family that grows in water or on marshy ground.
2. a thing or person resembling or likened to a reed, in particular"

Fitful is defined by dictionary.com as "adjective: active or occurring spasmodically or intermittently; not regular or steady. synonyms:intermittent, sporadic, spasmodic, broken, disturbed, disrupted, patchy, irregular, uneven, unsettled"

She is defied the feeling of being loved back and she aches for it enough that she is mesmerized by it and it consumes her every thought. He-mans is trying to tell us that its what Properzia truly longed for.

Her feeling are pouring out of her and she decides to take advantage of the situation and turn her pain into art through a sculpture to give to the Knight. The emotions are overflowing out of her body and she has such deeply rooted affections that something needs to be done.

Dirge is defined by Dictionary.com as "noun

1. a lament for the dead, especially one forming part of a funeral rite. synonyms: elegy, lament, burial hymn, threnody, requiem, funeral march; keen "a lone bagpiper played the woeful dirge"
2. a mournful song, piece of music, or poem."

This is referring to the aroma produced by the plant and is also a metaphor for the love Properzia had for the Knight. As most plants do, the myrtle will grow and expand as the season yields it ("to rise, to swell") but when it is time for a new season, it will flourish and whither ("to sink away") much like how she loved him but when she died, ("accents of farewell") the scent of love was gone.

This is the painting from Louis Ducis of Properzia's last work:

Upon further investigation, there is no piece of artwork done by Properzia called "Basso Relievo of Ariadne." If you look closely at this painting by Louis Ducis, you will see Rossi's supposed last bas releif: In the portrait of the work Properzia is doing, it does not look like a rendition of Ariadne's proclaimed love to Thesues but more of a woman sitting and conversing with a cherub child.

Myrtle is a type of plant. Dictionary.com says it is "an evergreen shrub that has glossy aromatic foliage and white flowers followed by purple-black oval berries"

She speaks of him through various types of ekphrasis such as song and sculpting. He makes her metaphorically wants to convey her feelings through song, to tell him how she really feels: her "life's deep feeling"

Here, she is saying to let the Knight know of the heartache and grief he caused due to her infatuation with him and how it ultimately caused her death.

Dictionary.com defines nigh as "adverb, preposition, & adjective near/ almost"

dictionary.com defines lorn as "adjective

1. forsaken, desolate, bereft, or forlorn.
2. Archaic. lost, ruined, or undone." This context is geared more heavily towards the first definition of lorn, where the speaker is speaking of the bereft of love and how it forsakes her.

Dictionary.com defines earnest as "adjective

1. serious in intention, purpose, or effort; sincerely zealous:an earnest worker.
2. showing depth and sincerity of feeling: earnest words; an earnest entreaty.
3. seriously important; demanding or receiving serious attention. noun
4. full seriousness, as of intention or purpose" In this context, i believe the meaning gravitates more towards showing depth and sincerity of feeling.

She is incessantly thinking and dwelling on the fact that she is facing unrequited love from her suitor. its consuming her every thought and it is all she can think about.

Here is a break down of what is going through her mind: "Forget Ariadne, this sculpture is going to look like me" through her "form" and "lineaments" but she is sculpting her body more to her liking to make him find her more attractive ("but oh! more fair" meaning "but oh! why don't i just make myself look a little more enticing to the subject of my affection so he'll like it/me more").

This is a good explicit example of how she is putting all of herself into the work of art for this man.

She wants this sculpture to entice the Knight so he will find it beautiful and love it.

She realizes she can live through her artwork, so this is when she decides to actually go forth and sculpt her last piece.

Here Hemens is describing the process that Properzia must have gone through to watch her artwork come to life, (metaphorically and literally??) while she was in the process of creating it and watching it all unfold.

Either her or her family could not produce enough money to make a sufficient dowry for Properzia to be married. This could possibly be why the Roman Knight won't accept her as a lover.

This context gives me a Frankenstein and Creature vibe where Rossi is creating this work and putting herself so into it, that it takes on its own life form. Her tears and pain of heartache give life to her art, apparently, enough for the work to"breathe out."

Perhaps she is saying that there is no life to lead without this man, so she might as well be dead, and even welcomes death. Rossi is not awake without a love to live for, so she might as well be sleeping her life away. In the 1920's the American public referred to death as "the big sleep" and i believe that this historical context helps identify that she means "death" when she juxtaposes being awake and dying.

The only thong that made her truly happy was the Roman Knight and since he does not share the same feelings as Rossi does, the "brightness" or happiness is taken away from her being.

This is defined by Merriam-Webster as "adjective

1. having or displaying a passionate intensity. synonyms: impassioned, passionate, intense, vehement, ardent, sincere, fervid, heartfelt; More archaic hot, burning, or glowing."

Rossi seems to be profusely crying: "Silent pang and tear" is the sound of her sadness because of the "melancholy love" that was unrequited. The word "lavished" in this context also tells us that she was crying heavily because of this lost suitor.

Defined my Merriam-Webster as "1. expending or bestowing profusely: prodigal

1. a : expended or produced in abundance b : marked by profusion or excess"

Rossi wants to pour her heart and soul into her artwork so it speaks for her as an artist when she has passed away. In Rossi's lifetime, women artists were not really given a second glance when people dealt with their artwork, so for her to want to make something so significant and amazing for others to judge her as a person on, is a great feat; one where you would have to put your all into it.

This is defined by Merriam-Webster as "transitive verb

1. to enclose in or as if in a shrine
2. to preserve or cherish as sacred"

Either she somehow knows she is going to die and this is going to be how she ends her career or she is vowing to make this her last artwork, one she put all her heart into creating, to give away to win the affection of the Knight.

The object of affection, this Roman Knight, does not love Properzia the way she loves him and therefore does not appreciate the gifts she will give him, even if she actually pours her heart and soul into this sculpture (which it seems she is because the way she describes it, is almost as if its animated).

Ere is defined by Merriam-Webster, as meaning "before."

Hemens is speaking as if she were Properzia. She is questioning if she is good enough to have someone to love: "my soul's lofty gifts" sound like she would give her everything for whomever she is with and she aches to find true happiness, but no one is satisfied with her.

"Basso-Relieve" or "Bas Relief" is defined by Dictionary.com as "1.noun relief sculpture in which the figures project slightly from the background. Also called low relief."

Throughout my research, there is no conclusive evidence that shows that Properzia died from a "broken heart" because most sources show that she was on her way to meet the king and he was told she could not make it due to her untimely death on the day. Most sources agree that she was 40 when she passed away. (Source: https://www.revolvy.com/main/index.php?s=Properzia%20de%27%20Rossi&item_type=topic)

1. of imposing height. "the elegant square was shaded by lofty palms" synonyms: tall, high, giant, towering, soaring, skyscraping "a lofty tower"
2. (of wool and other textiles) thick and resilient.

The author, Felicia Hemans, is writing from the perspective of Properzia, and saying that she may be dead but let her artwork live on to give life to the earth and let it leave a trace and her mark on the world to show her impression on the culture she was in. "Let earth retain a trace Of that which lit my being" She is saying that she loved to make art so when she died, earth was left with her art that continues to be viewed to this day, and that she wanted to leave a lasting impression on the world.

Most artists are not truly acknowledged until after their deaths, especially that of a woman artist of this time, because her artwork was not extremely prevalent to the public or seen as important. Due to her gender, women artists were not taken seriously and their credit for their works was given to the male artist that taught them their trade, and not to the actual female artist.

Rossi's death was only recorded because she was scheduled to meet with the incoming king, Charles V, that day and died at age 40. it was recorded that he was on his way to meet with her to have a piece of art commissioned, but he learned on the way there that she had passed away.

"(c.1490-1530) Properzia de' Rossi was born c.1490 in Bologna, Italy. She studied drawing under Marcantonio Raimondi, known today for his engravings of paintings by Raphael. de' Rossi was at first known for her complex miniature sculptures using an unorthodox medium of apricot, peach or cherry stones. In her thirties, she began to produce normal-sized sculptures like portrait busts, and these helped establish her reputation as a serious artist. She was also commissioned to decorate the altar of Santa Maria del Baraccano in Bologna and she won a competition to produce marble sculpture for the church of San Pedro in Bologna." http://distinguishedwomen.com/biographies/derossi-properzia.html