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Song -- Christina Rosetti

       
(Poem #8) Song
  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.

  I shall not see the shadows,
    I shall not feel the rain;
  I shall not hear the nightingale
    Sing on, as if in pain:
  And dreaming through the twilight
    That doth not rise nor set,
  Haply I may remember,
    And haply may forget.
-- Christina Rosetti
A lovely if somewhat sentimental poem. Not perhaps as famous as 'Goblin
Market', it is nonetheless a nice example of Rosetti's style - somewhat
melancholy, and permeated by the twilit boundary between life and death,
waking and sleep. It is interesting to contrast her poems with those of
Thomas Hardy, who took a similar but far harsher view of death and oblivion.

Biographical Note: Christina Rosetti, like her more famous brother Dante
Gabriel Rosetti, belonged to the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Her 'Goblin
Market' was the first major success of the Brotherhood, and one she never
quite equaled.

  Perhaps she realized that she was unable to write anything better than
  "Goblin Market," or perhaps her "failure" to surpass herself is explained by
  her turn away from poetry to children's stories and religious materials.
                        -- David Cody, on The Victorian Web

See <[broken link] http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/hypertext/landow/victorian/crossetti/rossetti5.html>

Martin

74 comments: ( or Leave a comment )

Haran said...

Is there some sort of pun on the wilt. That'll be interesting

Tim Harvey said...

It would be an epitaph I'd be proud to bear. Not now, but some time.

Celine said...

I love this poem personally, though Christina Rossetti has written lots and lots of poems about death, this is one of my favourites. Can ask why you do not have Goblin Market?

Celine said...

I love this poem. Rossetti wrote a lot of death poems, this one is my favourite. Why haven't you included 'Goblin Market' in the archive?

MMelanielm said...

Sentimental or not my 79yr old mother, who was a private poet, wants this
read at her funeral. Thank's for the site.

spunky said...

I would love a better understanding of this poem that was included in my sons suicide note to me.

Drew said...

It's a poem about how when someone dies, the living shouldn't worry about the one who died. If it pleases the living, they may remember the dead one. If not, so be it. The dead one may or may not remember life, so it's a fair enough trade off to do as you feel inclined to do.

Alicia said...

Hi . I learned this poem " Song " by Ms. Christina Rosetti back in high
school 1973. I am from Philippines and this was a part of our
literature class. I was moved by this lovely but very sad poem. I could
not forget this poem and I felt like it has touched my life. I can not
recall the beautiful phrases though as was not able to keep a copy of it
before. Thanks to you. I am so glad now to have a copy of this very
meaningful poem.

Very truly yours,
Alicia S. Mayo
St. Anthony School, Philippines
High School Circa 1975

edu said...

what unlucky song I am sad to tead it

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bali favers said...

this poem personally, though Christina Rossetti has written lots and lots of poems about death, this is one of my favourites

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