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
Similar quotes
To be totally without stress is to be dead.
Hans SelyeRead
The truth is you don't know what is going to happen tomorrow. Life is a crazy ride, and nothing is guaranteed.
EminemRead
Timing is the essence of life, and definitely of comedy.
Bob HopeRead
You took too much man, too much, too much.
Hunter S. ThompsonRead
This is what youth must figure out: Girls, love, and living. The having, the not having, The spending and giving, And the meloncholy time of not knowing. This is what age must learn about: The ABC of dying. The going, yet not going, The loving and leaving, And the unbearable knowing and knowing
E. B. WhiteRead
If we tend to the things that are important in life, if we are right with those we love, and behave in line with our faith, our lives will not be cursed with the aching throb of unfulfilled business. Our words will always be sincere, our embraces will be tight. We will never wallow in the agony of ‘I could have, I should have’. We can sleep in a storm. And when its time, our goodbyes will be complete.
Mitch AlbomRead