We must not look at goblin men, We must not buy their fruits: Who knows upon what soil they fed Their hungry thirsty roots?
Christina RossettiRead
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 I may forget.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a desire for a celebration of life rather than mourning after death.
In this quote, Christina Rossetti reflects on the concept of death and the attitudes of the living towards the deceased. She suggests that upon her passing, rather than being remembered with sorrow and traditional rituals, she would prefer a natural, peaceful remembrance that celebrates life. The imagery of grass, dewdrops, and the cycles of nature emphasizes acceptance and continuity, while her mention of memory suggests a complex relationship between remembrance and forgetting in the context of loss.
Themes
DeathMemoryLifeNatureRemembrance
In practice
Example use cases
Sharing this quote during a memorial service to celebrate the life of a loved one.
More from Christina Rossetti
All quotes →To her whose heart is my heart's quiet home,_x000D_ _x000D_ To my first Love, my Mother, on whose knee_x000D_ _x000D_ I learnt love-lore that is not troublesome.
Christina RossettiRead
Yet come to me in dreams, that I may live My very life again though cold in death; Come back to me in dreams, that I may give Pulse for pulse, breath for breath: Speak low, lean low, As long ago, my love, how long ago
Christina RossettiRead
Lie still, lie still, my breaking heart; My silent heart, lie still and break: Life, and the world, and mine own self, are changed For a dream's sake.
Christina RossettiRead
I lock my door upon myself, And bar them out; but who shall wall Self from myself, most loathed of all?
Christina RossettiRead
When I am dead, my dearest,_x000D_ _x000D_ Sing no sad songs for me
Christina RossettiRead
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