When I Am Dead, My Dearest by Christina Rossetti

When I Am Dead, My dearest by Christina Rossetti

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.

INTRODUCTION -

When I am dead, my dearest is a famous poem by Christina Rossetti written in 1848. It was published in her first volume of poetry, Goblin Market and Other Poems in 1862. It is also published under the title Song. The poem describes the poet's wishes for her burial and grave and what follows her death. Her choices are limited and she even admits how people forget the dead after some time. She accepts it and asks the reader not to worry about it. She knows that once she is dead, she won't be able to feel the beauty and nourishment of nature. The poem consists of 16 lines divided into two octaves which can be further divided into two quatrains following the rhyme scheme of ABCB. The use of alliteration and clear rhythm provide a strong atmosphere to the poem.

POET -

Christina Rossetti (5 December 1830 - 29 December 1894) was an English poet who wrote many romantic, devotional, and children's poems. She is considered to be one of the finest poets of the Victorian Age. Her most famous works include Up-hill, Remember, Goblin Market, Love Came Down For Christmas, etc.

SUMMARY -

In the first stanza, the speaker is saying to someone important whom she considers as a beloved that they should not grieve once she passes away. She asks her beloved that when she dies, he doesn’t need to sing any sad songs for her, or put flowers or plant a tree on her grave. These rituals that are followed in the Christian religion for every dead person do not invite the narrator. Instead, she mentions that the grass on her grave, showered by rain and morning dew, will be enough for her peace and calm. The grass is a plant that continues to grow whether it be drought or rain. It is a symbol of moving on in life. Then in the last two lines, she mentions that if the beloved does remember her, that’s fine, but if he forgets her, so be it. She understands that grief is personal and it is important for her companion to think about what he would like, rather than what the dead would like.

In the second stanza, the speaker discusses her own experience after passing, but there is not much for her to say, as she is still alive. The speaker explains why she isn’t fussed about what her beloved does to remember her after she has died. The reason is that she will not be there to see the shadows or feel the rain or hear the nightingale singing. So, whatever is done in her honor and memory will never be noticed by her. After her death, she will be ‘dreaming’, and sleeping, through a perpetual ‘twilight’, and there may be a moment where she may remember him, but she may not either. So, she advises her beloved to follow his ways to deal with the pain and loss and not to please her in the task as she wouldn't be there to notice it.

THEME -

• Life and death - The poem revolves around the thought of what will happen after the poet's death. She isn't sure about these ideas as she is still alive and doesn't know what will happen when she is dead. Will, she remember or forget him? Hence, she advises her lover not to worry too much about these. She even advises him not to spend too much time or money on her grave.

END -

This poem is largely considered Christina Rossetti's most successful work, especially at the time of its publication. What inspired this particular poem is likely the fact that she dealt with a variety of issues with her mental and physical health throughout her life, leaving her with a great many potential times to reflect upon the nature of her mortality. It is clear that throughout her life, Rossetti fought some very unpleasant and very difficult emotions that might have otherwise ruined the life of an excellent poet who has expressed some of those feelings in Song, which is all the more powerful when the reader remembers the difficult life endured by the woman who wrote it.