Mini Poetry Lesson 3

Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go, yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you plann'd:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.

Today, we will not go into anything technical. We will just think about why this poem's so beautiful.

Isn't this such a lovely poem? It's one of my favourite.

Before we go any further, read the poem again, aloud. How do you feel as you listen to the words? Do you feel that it's so lyrical, musical, fluent but at the same time, filled with a sense of melancholy?

Can you guess whether it's written by a male or female poet?

If you guessed female, then you're right. The author of this poem is Christina Rossetti, one of the greatest female poets who ever lived.

Your reason for guessing that it's written by a woman is probably because it is so sensitive and gentle in tone and the poet is very aware and in touch with her innermost feelings. Women are usually better in such things than men. (Okay, this is a general statement)

Why is this poem so beautiful?

a) It is about sadness and parting. Things which strike a chord with most people.
b) The pair of loved ones are far apart. The poet is speaking of a time when she has 'gone far away into the silent land' (most likely implying death).
c) There is a sense of nostalgia and regret in the parting of the poet with her loved one. This is movingly described by the poet in that her loved one can no longer 'hold her by the hand', 'tell [her] of [their] future that [he] plann'd', and to 'counsel' and 'pray'.
d) The poet's desire to be remembered is quite moving, because we all hope that people whom we care for will never forget us.
e) The last 6 lines of the poem displays the poet's generosity towards her loved one. Read it again.

'Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.'

Although she has been asking (almost pleading) with her loved one to remember her, she is now telling the other person not to 'grieve' if he forgets her for a while. She assures her loved one that she would rather that he forgets her but remains happy rather than remember her and be grieved.

For those of you who enjoy a challenge, there's actually another way of interpreting the last six lines (in fact the whole poem). Do some research on Christina Rossetti's life. Find out her views on religion, and how this affects her ideas of romantic love. Does her religious convictions make her sort of ambivalent towards how she hopes the one she loves will remember her? Is it her puritan religious ideals that make her generous towards how her loved one will remember her?

If the above paragraph is too much for you, it's okay. Don't worry too much about it. Just read and enjoy this poem as a lyrical and beautiful piece.

That's all I have for you for poetry for now. I hope you are at least a little bit more interested in poetry now. I'm sure your teachers next year will tell you more.