poem by christina rossetti when i am dead

#Poem by christina rossetti when i am dead free#

The speaker hopes that their lover will cast the leaves away. In some traditions branches are carried at a funeral procession. Whilst the first verse ends, ‘And if thou wilt, remember, / And if thou wilt, forget (lines 7-8), the second ends ‘Haply I remember, / And haply may forget (lines 15-16). There is a marked amount of repetition in Song. The ‘cypress tree’ is a powerful symbol of death. 'Song (When I am dead, my dearest)' - Language, tone and structure Language and tone Repetition. 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. How would a poem like Rossetti's 'Song' play to her male readership What possibilities does it open for female poets Related Material.

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. Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) uses alliteration throughout the poem: dead/dearest, sing/sad/songs, and green/grass. 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. 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. 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. 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.

Poetry expands ideas.In this poem the speaker tries to comfort and reassure their lover after the s/he has died. You need to expose yourself to all kinds of poets and you may find your motivation and muse that way. Writing the poem (and finding just the right word) is the measure of success that the authors use. 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. Writers say poetry provides them with comfort, a way to express themselves and the discipline of finding the essence with few words. Whatever the question is, poetry may be the answer.

Here is a list of English Poems written by various authors.

#Poem by christina rossetti when i am dead free#

While quite a few poems in this selection are in traditional forms, the unit also includes modern poems that are free from formal restrictions. 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. Poetry has a musical quality with rhythm, pitch, metre and it may use figures of speech such as simile and metaphor. No single definition of poetry is possible but some characteristic features of poetry may be mentioned. A poet is thus a maker and the poem something that is made or created. The word POETRY originates from a Greek word meaning TO MAKE.