The poem “Remember” written by Christina Rossetti speaks about the love and death. She wrote this poem when she was in love with Cayley. When we read this poem it gives an impression that she is about to die, when in reality she lives for 32 years after writing this poem.
At the beginning of the poem Rossetti is talking to her loved one in a demanding tone and asking him to remember her no matter what happens to their relationship because of separation or death. “The silent land” in the poem either refers to the separation or it refers to the place where the soul goes after death such as to heaven or hell. Rossetti wants her legacy to live on through the ones she loves.
She asks her lover to always hold her close to his heart. She conveys that the heart and the soul are different. When a person dies the soul returns to where it belongs i.e. heaven or hell, but the hearts remain with the lover. As when in love two hearts beats as one.
When people are in love they make plans for their future. The poetess speaks about the things she will not be able to do with her loved ones when she is gone. But she wants her loved one to remember the plans that they had made and think how great it would have been if they could have lived together and fulfill all their plans and wishes in life.
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The poetess feels as if she is about to die and there is nothing that can stop her death. There is not a single hope of life and she is accepting the death, and assures her loved one that everything is going be to fine. She also says that if her loved one gets busy in his life and do not remember her, she will understand that.
Earlier she wanted her loved one to remember her, but she now wants him to enjoy his life and remember her at the back of his mind, she loved him deeply and wants him to happy.
She says to her lover that it is ok to be happy and rejoice life without her. She realizes her mistake of asking her loved one to remember her. After her death if she will be missed by her loved one then he will remain in sorrow. The closer she is to her death, more caring kind and loving she is becoming.
As the feeling of death grows closer in Rossetti mind, the feeling of love grows stronger. She understands everyone has to die at the end even the loved once. Thus, we see love and death feed and thrive off of each other.
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She stops being commanding at the end and asks her loved one with compassion to forget and smile anyway as she wants him to be happy. She doesn’t want him to be in miserable conditions after she is gone and ask him to move on and remember their good memories
Thus, we see in the first half that the poetess is very demanding and ruff, but later on as death approaches she becomes more loving and caring.