Here, Rossetti is citing his sister Christina's work "The Goblin Market".

According to The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Priapus is "A Greek fertility god, whose symbol was the phallus."

Abrams, Meyer H. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9.th ed. New York. Norton, 2012. 1486. Print.

According to The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Paphian means "Of Paphos, a city on Cyprus that was the site of a famous temple of Aphrodite (the Roman Venus), also, a term for prostitute."

Abrams, Meyer H. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9.th ed. New York. Norton, 2012. 1486. Print.

According to The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Psyche-wings refer to "The soul, often symbolized by a butterfly that escaped the body after death. Also, in the well-known story told by Apuleius, Psyche was a maiden beloved by Cupid."

Abrams, Meyer H. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9.th ed. New York. Norton, 2012. 1484. Print.

The riddle here, according to The Norton Anthology of English Literature is "what walks on four legs in the morning, three at noon, and three in the evening?" and the answer is "man, at different ages".

Abrams, Meyer H. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9.th ed. New York. Norton, 2012. 1484. Print.

According to The Norton Anthology of English Literature, the sphinx is described as a monster with a lion's body, bird's wings, and woman's face. This comes from the Greek mythology.

Abrams, Meyer H. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9.th ed. New York. Norton, 2012. 1484. Print.

These lines are referring to the Biblical parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25: 1-13. Matthew 25: 1-4 says, "Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps." It's very interesting that the speaker compared Jenny to the wise virgin's because she is obviously not a virgin.

Wellman, Jack. "Parable of the 10 Virgins: Summary, Meaning and Commentary." Christian Crier. Web. 27 Nov. 2015. http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2014/11/11/parable-of-the-10-virgins-summary-meaning-and-commentary/.

For more information, please visit:

Starzyk, Lawrence. "Rossetti's Jenny: Anesthetizing the Whore." Papers on Language and Literature. 44: (Summer 2000) 242-248. Literature Criticism Online. Web.

Rodgers, Lise. “The Book and the Flower: Rationality and Sensuality in Dante Gabriel Rossetti's "Jenny"”. The Journal of Narrative Technique 10:3 (1980): 156–169. JSTOR. Web.

Here we have a rose shut in a book. Could this mean that sensuality is trapped in rationality?

This line refers to the painters Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci.

These lines are referring to the Christian belief in Judgment Day, which is described in Revelation 20:11-15: "Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire."

"Bible Gateway Passage: Revelation 20:11-15 - New International Version." Bible Gateway. Web. 27 Nov. 2015. <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation 20:11-15&version=NIV>.

Here we have the Romans 9:21 reference again, which seems to be contrasting Nell and Jenny, rather than the speaker and Jenny.

There seems to be a shift in the poem here. The speaker describes the "pure woman" here by writing about his cousin Nell. Nell is the exact opposite of Jenny, who is a "fallen woman".

These lines are referring to the scripture passage Romans 9:21 which says, "Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery special purposes and some for common use?" This references is very interesting because it tries to convey the idea that some people are created for special or honorable uses and some other people are created for common or dishonorable uses. The speaker seems to use this Biblical reference to contrast himself with Jenny. He seems to believe that he is honorable and she is dishonorable (because of her profession).

"Bible Gateway Passage: Romans 9:21 - New International Version." Bible Gateway. Web. 27 Nov. 2015. <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans 9:21>.

A ruffian is a "strong and violent person (especially a man) who threatens and hurts other people".

Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 16 Nov. 2015. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruffian.

At this point, one can see the speaker wondering what Jenny is thinking during this encounter. He can't seem to penetrate her thoughts.

Serried here is defined as "crowded or pressed together". The lines surrounding this word basically suggest that the speaker of the poem has many books and that he has spent a lot of his youth reading them.

Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 16 Nov. 2015. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/serried.

There is that book image again. Books are symbols that represent rationality in this poem, as opposed to flowers which are symbols that represent sensuality in this poem. The rational and the sensual are polar opposites.

Rodgers, Lise. “The Book and the Flower: Rationality and Sensuality in Dante Gabriel Rossetti's "Jenny"”. The Journal of Narrative Technique 10:3 (1980): 156–169. JSTOR. Web.

At this point, one can see that Jenny is obviously exposed below her waist and there is more than likely sexual activity going on here.

The Haymarket mentioned in this line refers to a street in London that was frequented by women who were prostitutes.

Abrams, Meyer H. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9.th ed. New York. Norton, 2012. 1481. Print.

One could assume that the serpent referred to in this line could be representative of the Biblical serpent Lucifer.

Here, Jenny is placed in opposition to the image of the book. The speaker can't seem to make his way into Jenny's thoughts. This makes her a "volume seldom read". Since the speaker can't connect with her on an intellectual level, he must connect with her on an emotional level by looking at her beauty.

"D.G. Rossetti's "Jenny": Eschewing Thinking for Feeling." D.G. Rossetti's "Jenny": Eschewing Thinking for Feeling. 16 Oct. 2004. Web. 16 Nov. 2015. http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/dgr/keefe5.html.

These lines are referring to the scripture passage Matthew 6:28 which says, "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin." This reference is very interesting because at the beginning of the poem Jenny is described as lazy. One can assume that the speaker is comparing the Biblical flowers of the field to Jenny. We also learned earlier that the flower is a symbolic image of sensuality. Using a Biblical text was a very interesting choice for Rossetti here.

"Bible Gateway Passage: Matthew 6:28 - New International Version." Bible Gateway. Web. 15 Nov. 2015. <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew 6:28>.

Books are symbols that represent rationality in this poem, as opposed to flowers which are symbols that represent sensuality in this poem. The rational and the sensual are polar opposites.

Rodgers, Lise. “The Book and the Flower: Rationality and Sensuality in Dante Gabriel Rossetti's "Jenny"”. The Journal of Narrative Technique 10:3 (1980): 156–169. JSTOR. Web.

A lodestar is "something or someone that leads or guides a person or group of people" and reverie is "a state in which you are thinking about pleasant things". This line is all about the force that guides Jenny to her pleasant thoughts. The speaker is asking Jenny who the source of her reverie is, or whose money the source of her reverie is.

Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 14 Nov. 2015. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lodestar.

Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 14 Nov. 2015. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reverie.

This line is so fascinating. "Poor shameful Jenny, full of grace." One can see that this woman Jenny carries a lot of shame, but is still capable of receiving grace. This line also serves as an "illusion to the first line of the prayer to the Virgin Mary: 'Hail Mary, full of grace.' " How interesting it is to compare Jenny, a prostitute, to the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ.

Abrams, Meyer H. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9.th ed. New York. Norton, 2012. 1478. Print.

This quote comes from Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor. The full quote reads "Vengeance of Jenny's case! Fie on her! Never name her child, if she be a whore."

Abrams, Meyer H. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9.th ed. New York. Norton, 2012. 1478. Print.

Exuberant is defined as "very lively, happy, or energetic" or "filled with energy and enthusiasm" and hotbed is defined as "a place of situation where a lot of particular activity is happening or might happen". Within this line, one can see that there is a lot of activity going on- presumably sexual activity.

Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 14 Nov. 2015. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exuberant.

"Hotbed Definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary." Hotbed Definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary. Web. 14 Nov. 2015. http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/hotbed.

Here, a guinea refers to "a coin of approximately one quarter ounce of gold that was minted in the Kingdom of England and later in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom between 1663 and 1814". Within this line, one can see that Jenny is fond of kisses and fond of money.

"Guinea (British Coin)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 14 Nov. 2015. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea_(British_coin).

Languid is defined as "showing or having very little strength, energy, or activity". Within this line, one can assume that this woman, Jenny, is a lazy but happy woman.

Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 14 Nov. 2015. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/languid.

I would like to claim this poem for my annotation project.

The holy Mother here refers to the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ, who is sometimes known as the Queen of heaven. By her grade, the Mariner was refreshed with rain.

This stanza seems to relate back to the South Pole, which we already know is one of the coldest places on the earth. The gloss below describes it as "The land of ice, and of fearful sounds, where no living thing was to be seen." In this stanza, the comparison of ice and emerald is really interesting. It is the perfect juxtaposition of the terrifying weather at the South Pole and the beauty of an emerald.

"The ship drawn by a storm toward the South Pole." The South Pole is the southernmost point on this earth and it is located on the continent of Antarctica. It is one of the coldest places on the earth. This gloss helps to explain how rough and powerful the waters near the South Pole are, because the storm and the waters were drawing the boat to the South Pole.

"South Pole." National Geographic Education. 1 Feb. 2011. Web. 9 Oct. 2015. http://education.nationalgeographic.com/encyclopedia/south-pole/.

Coleridge's use of the Albatross is really interesting here and throughout the poem. An Albatross is "a large white ocean bird that has very long wings". (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/albatross). National Geographic writes about the significance of the Albatross in the poem. "Albatrosses feed primarily on squid or schooling fish, but are familiar to mariners because they sometimes follow ships in hopes of dining on handouts or garbage. Albatrosses have a special place in maritime lore and superstition, most memorably evoked in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." (http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/albatross/).

Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 3 Oct. 2015.

"Albatrosses, Albatross Pictures, Albatross Facts - National Geographic." National Geographic. Web. 3 Oct. 2015.

It is interesting to note that the earlier edition of this poem was titled "The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere in Seven Parts". This earlier edition was published in 1798. This later edition, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", was published in 1817. In the earlier edition, Coleridge used a lot of old-fashioned spelling, even for the time period that he was writing in. In the later edition, he updated his spelling and added or removed various stanzas throughout the poem. He also changed some verb tenses in the later edition. This makes one wonder why Coleridge made so many changes to an already fantastic poem.

"Sweet Mary" is rumored to refer to Mary Wollstonecraft. She lived from 1759-1797. She was a moral and political theorist who focused a lot of her attention on women in modern society. She had a connection with William Blake. "In 1787, she also began, but never completed, The Cave of Fancy. A Tale. The same year, she wrote Original Stories from Real Life; with Conversations, calculated to Regulate the Affections, and Form the Mind to Truth and Goodness (1788); it appeared in two other London editions in her life time (1791 and 1796), the last of which illustrated by William Blake." (Sylvana). I wonder if there was more to their relationship than just working together?

Tomaselli, Sylvana. "Mary Wollstonecraft." Stanford University. Stanford University, 16 Apr. 2008. Web. 24 Sept. 2015. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/wollstonecraft/.

In this line Nigers refers to the Niger river, which is located in the western part of Africa. In Africa, the only two rivers that are longer than the Niger are the Nile and Congo rivers. In the Oxford English Dictionary, the word tainted is defined as "Stained, tinged; contaminated, infected, corrupted; touched with putrefaction or incipient decay; affected with some corrupting influence." This simple, yet profound line of poetry refers to the Niger river being tainted or contaminated with the blood of the victims of the English slave trade.

Mabogunje, Akinlawon. "Niger River | River, Africa." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 18 Sept. 2015.

“tainted, adj.” The Oxford English Dictionary. 2015. OED Online. Oxford University Press. 18 September 2015.