![]() ![]() ![]() Each of the items on the list is needed for the most important being - probably God - in her world. The enjambment (no punctuation at the end of the first line of each pair) allows Rossetti to explore each of her similes clearly and give the reader the exact idea of why she feels like each of these natural images. The first line of each pair is a statement and the second indented line a clarification. Notice that the lines work in pairs in the opening stanza. This could be thought of as a repetitive song being sung by someone consumed with joy. The regularity of each stanza indicates that this is not uncontrolled passion, but rather controlled, joyous contentment. When I Am Dead, My Dearest This brief poem by famous Victorian poet Christina Rossetti is a popular choice for funerals and memorial services because of the narrator’s request that her or his loved ones do not dwell in grief for their death, but continue to live life after they are gone. The main idea behind the poem is that one should calmly accept the inevitable death that awaits us all. All of these are relevant to interpretation of this poem. Yet, figuratively, the poem conveys the poets perception of death as a dreamy, intermediate existence that compares to 'twilight'. However, her later poetry also expresses her desire for a husband, true love and to feel that she is fulfilling her role as a woman by being a mother. 'When I Am Dead, My Dearest' Literal and Figural Meaning The poem literally illustrates the speakers reflection upon whether or not he or she and the 'dearest' shall remember one another when the speaker dies. When I am dead, my dearest, Sing no sad songs for me Plant thou no roses at my head, Nor shady cypress tree: Be the green grass above me With showers and dewdrops wet And if thou wilt, remember, And if thou wilt, forget. Much of her poetry has clear biblical roots. The key to understanding this poem is the importance of her faith to her. However, her later poetry also expresses her desire for a husband, true. But she found comfort and joy in her fierce and unwavering Christian faith. The key to understanding this poem is the importance of her faith to her. The speaker hopes that their lover will cast the leaves away.Christina Rossetti was known to have had a difficult life, as her biography indicates. In some traditions branches are carried at a funeral procession. The ‘cypress tree’ is a powerful symbol of death. For example ‘Plant thou no roses… nor shady cypress tree’ expresses the protagonist’s hope that their lover does not mourn too long but but continues living positively. Rossetti uses the natural world as metaphors for remembrance. The persona may be the poet, but more likely this is an imagery protagonist.Ī powerful feature is the rhythm, the use of syntactic parallels to establish the positive mood of acceptance. The voice is that of the first person singular ‘I’ addressing her lover. The mainly end-stopped lines suggest the emphatic nature of the speaker’s wishes. The rhyme scheme is a regular ABCB DEFE in both stanzas. There is a jaunty rhythm which ensures the mood is more hopeful than sombre. The structure is regular, with the first, third, fifth and seventh lines having seven syllables and the alternating lines six. The poem comprises two stanzas of eight lines each. Instead she creates a mood of acceptance and peace. These remain unresolved, yet despite this there is no tension in the poem. She also conveys the importance of the connection between the living and the dead, how the wishes of the one who has passed away impacts on the lives of those left mourning them.Īn important feature is the trope of binary opposites, where the speaker and her lover are suspended between alternatives. Rossetti weaves in a range of ideas memory, after-life, the human spirit, hope, patience and reassurance. It mirrors Rossetti’s Remember, which also deals with comforting a bereaved lover. In this poem the speaker tries to comfort and reassure their lover after the s/he has died.
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