Poetry of Christian Rossetti

A common interpretation of the work of the 19th century poetess, Christina Rosetti, is that her work is depressing, morbid and highly pessimistic. However, in this essay I shall explore this in further depth by looking at three poems: “A dream”, “A Birthday” and one of the many poems entitled “Song”, beginning “When I am dead, my dearest.” By looking at her use of language, imagery, themes and her addressee I shall explore to what extent I agree with the statement that the work of Rosetti leans towards the “Dark Side.” One of the obviously fundamental aspects of poetry is the language used and the literary devices employed, and Rosetti’s poetry is certainly no exception to this. Saturated with intense description, all three of the poems I shall explore contain language which undoubtedly leads to a justified definition of Rosetti’s work. The themes exposed in each poem reveal to a great extent Rosetti’s beliefs and moral ideals as well as her views of life and any inclination she may have towards “the dark side”.

“A Dream” is a biographical poem which chart

s the events of a dream which the speaker has had about her and her lover. This is a very emotive piece of writing; this being accentuated through Rosetti’s use of language and imagery. One of the first impressions we are given from the speaker is the feeling of unity and happiness between the two lovers, represented by “two swift-winged pigeons”. They are described as being in “an open field” and “sporting at ease and courting in full view.” The open field is a distinctly unthreatening image which optimistically suggests hope and endless possibility for the two birds as they are not physically constrained from their freedom. The pigeons are described as “sporting” which suggests frivolity, youth and vitality. The fact that they court “in full view” shows their complete absence of any feeling of restraint or shame for their flirtation and enjoyment of each other. These first four lines of the poem are written in ABBA style, and this is used by Rosetti to show the orderly and undisrupted happiness of the birds. From these four lines alone we could assume that Rosetti does indeed celebrate the lighter and more pleasurable aspects of life, however, as with so many of her poems, the tone proceeds to distinctly change. The threatening image in line 5 of the “broadening darkness” is almost one of omnipotence, as it is described as “loftier still”. Rosetti’s use of this comparison is very effective- the overshadowing evil which the speaker senses is simply much higher up, therefore powerful, than the two birds. The image of the ‘ravenous hawk’ is a very striking one, as the adjective “ravenous” has connotations of greed and in this case, an insatiable hunger for death. After the death of the two pigeons, Rosetti ends the second four-line quatrain with a mournful, prayer-like statement: “So farewell life and love and pleasures new.” The blunt absoluteness of this line is a powerful tool used by Rosetti to convey the irrevocable consequences of the death of the two pigeons. The description of the actual bodies of the dead birds is extremely poignant as the “snow-white plumage flecked with crimson drops” is noted. This tainted image of perfection is distort and distressing to the reader as the purity of the wing plumage being contaminated with evidence of killing and bloodshed seems to be an unnecessary injustice. Rosetti uses onomatopoeia as she describes the “rustling” hedgerow tops which imply the reality of the dream at the present moment, to the extent where the speaker can even hear the sounds around her, and this is further used by the sound of “far-off piteous bleat of lambs and sheep.” This image which appeals to the sense of sound and also to basic human compassion is very striking as it is clear that there continue to be more victims of the ‘broadening darkness’, which represents in this poem something which has destroyed a genuine and lively love. The word “piteous” does indeed evoke our sympathy, as we, like the speaker, feel outraged at the abuse of creatures unable to defend themselves.

In the second verse we see different types of images employed, many of which are Biblical, arising from the Psalms and Song of Solomon. The use of luxurious images is continued as in the first verse, yet this religious reference suggests a love which is divinely given to the speaker. The use of the imperative in commands such as “Raise me” and “Hang it” shows the speakers longing to be indulged and for her desires to be satisfied. A reference is made to “purple dyes”, this is the traditional colour representing royalty, and in the ancient world was renowned for both its richness and its expense. “Peacocks with a hundred eyes” is another decadent imag

Some topics in this essay:
Christina Rosetti, Song Solomon, God Rosetti, , “a dream”, thou wilt, speaker feels, thou wilt forget”, speaker feeling, “if thou wilt, feeling poem, unbreakable devotion, “broadening darkness”, language imagery, poem main, “a birthday”,