Since 2020, I’ve tried to be more intentional about reading poetry, and I’ve filled more than a shelf with books of poems I’ve finished. Earlier this year, I decided to re-read some books of poetry. Rather than just reading through as I did the first time, I thought approaching these books with more thoughtful analysis would help me learn. That hasn’t happened like I expected, but I am enjoying these poets all over again.
Right now, I’m in the middle of a book of poems by Christina Rossetti. Common themes in Rossetti’s poems are tenderness toward God, long standing disappointment, feelings of alienation, and a love of the natural world. She also ventures into fantasy or dream-like poems. Many of these things resonate with me as well, so I feel a certain kinship with Rossetti. Reading her is like listening to a friend I understand.
Below is a poem by Rossetti entitled, “Song.” In it, an unknown speaker compares herself and another woman. Both women seem to embody dispositions or feelings that might not be as different as we think.
Song
She sat and sang alway
By the green margin of a stream,
Watching the fishes leap and play
Beneath the glad sunbeam.
I sat and wept alway
Beneath the moon’s most shadowy beam,
Watching the blossoms of the May
Weep leaves into the stream.
I wept for memory;
She sang for hope that is so fair;
My tears were swallowed by the sea,
Her songs died on the air.
