As imagery I found it utterly stunning. Several things have lingered in my brain.

But oh, the poor mother and daughter in this story. Neither of them are rewarded on the earthly plane. It's like "The Little Match Girl" -- she has to die to get her reward, and that always appalled me. Morality tales aside, I would have opted for a slightly different ending.

I also couldn't help wondering if there's a cultural bias I'm missing that would make the story more satisfying for me if I had that frame of reference.