Stories In Verse - Goblin Market and The Forsaken Merman

Poet Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's poetry archive and selects Stories In Verse - Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti And The Forsaken Merman by Matthew Arnold.

These are two imaginative poems about the supernatural.

Written in 1859, Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti draws on European folklore which often tells of humans who attempted to eat fairy food and faced dire consequences.

It marks a classic confrontation between innocence and corruption.

Written earlier, The Forsaken Merman by Matthew Arnold was influenced by the Danish story of the abandoned Merman.

It’s a rich poem about green sea, sea beasts and sea snakes that coil and twine and bask in the brine.

Read by Eileen Atkins

Producer: Joy Boatman

First broadcast on BBC World Service in 1993.