rossetti began writing down and dating her poems from 1842, most of which imitated her favoured poets. in 1847 she began experimenting with verse forms such as sonnets, hymns and ballads, while drawing narratives from the bible, folk tales and the lives of saints. her early pieces often feature meditations on death and loss, in the romantic tradition. she published her first two poems ("death's chill between", "heart's chill between") in the "athenaeum" in 1848, when she was 18. under the pseudonym "ellen alleyne" she contributed to the literary magazine, "the germ", published by the pre-raphaelites from january to april 1850 and edited by her brother william. this marked the beginning of her public career.