Christina Rossetti : Song
- Created by: Shannonbrassil01
- Created on: 20-03-17 10:55
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Song : When I am dead, my dearest
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.
Imagery and Symbolisim :
Natural imagery - The speaker requests that the lover plant 'no roses' his/her grave and no ‘shady cypress tree' in his/her memory (lines 3-4)
- Whilst roses represent love, the cypress tree traditionally symbolises mourning because cypress branches were carried at funerals.
- By declaring that s/he has no need of these things, the speaker reassures the lover that s/he will not be jealous or resentful if the lover continues living his/her life rather than to mourn for the speaker.
Silence - In the second verse, the speaker claims that once dead s/he will no…
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