Goblin Market and Other Poems – Christina Rossetti by Christina Rossetti

"Come buy our orchard fruits, Come buy, come buy."

Two sisters, Laura and Lizzie, hear the calls of goblin merchants selling exotic, magical fruit. Laura succumbs to temptation, trades a lock of her hair for the fruit, and wastes away with a drug-like addiction. Lizzie braves the goblins to get the antidote for her sister, enduring their assault to bring back the 'juices' that will save Laura.

Rossetti's narrative poem is a masterpiece of strange, fairy-tale imagery. It has been interpreted as a Christian allegory of redemption, a warning against sexual transgression, and a celebration of sisterly love and female power.