In the first stanza of the poem, the speaker of the poem asks her near and dear ones that when she dies they need sing any sad songs for her, nor plant any tree, nor put flowers on her grave. The speaker says that only the grass that will grow on her grave, due to morning dew and rain, is going to be enough. The only thing she (the speaker) expects from all of them is remember her, keep her memories in her mind and heart, but if they forget her, the speaker will not be able to enjoy what has been mentioned in the next stanza.
When the second stanza starts, it becomes quite clear from the very first verse of this stanza that she is going to reveal what she may have to face if her near and dear ones will not remember her, or forget her. Where the speaker advises in the first stanza, expects what not to do from her near and dear ones, in the second stanza, she reveals what will happen if her advice is not followed by them.
What is Pink?
In order to offset the ending color that is treated as boring and lonely, the rest of these lines are designed to showcase connection and unity that stem from other colors. With this in mind, not only does Rossetti offer things to represent the colors she notes, but she also pairs them with colors that are relatable. Through this decision to group all of the lines together, like one stanza, Rossetti has revealed the utmost level of unity possible.
For this series of lines, the colors that are described are pink and red, and both items that are connected to the colors are flowers the rose and poppy. This choice of colors and representations contain a romantic feel in that items often given for gifts are noted for colors related to hearts and romance. There is a tenderness that can be inferred from the rose that is placed by the fountain’s brink and something comforting about the poppy among its barley bed home.
The tone of these lines shifts as the author turns to a more morose color with blue and a more bland color in white. Regardless of the shift, the concepts that represent the colors are still beautiful entities: The sky and the swan. They are, however, less romantic and more inspirational since both of the items can extend upward and out of reach. A person, after all, can reach toward the sky to attain a dream and wish to sail into a world that is more majestic and wonderful, so these ideas are essentially indicative of wanting to chase dreams or pursue goals.
The physical items in these four lines are a bit unique, For the blue, in particular, clouds are noted as a part of the sky. While clouds do not ruin the overall beauty of a sky, they do prevent a person from seeing it in its fullest, which boasts of hindrance. The swan, is given no negative quality as it sails in the light. This is a representation of the importance of the color’s meaning. Remember, in the end, that blue is noted as a morose color, so it is only fitting that clouds are a part of that equation. Nevertheless, blue is not without its good points, which is indicated in the fact that the author uses something as breathtaking and unreachable as the sky to represent it.
The pairing of colors in these lines are again grounded in similar ideas since they are both plants. Pears are noted as things that are yellow, whereas grass is green. Once more, there is beauty to be had within the descriptions since pears are allotted three positive adjectives rich and ripe and mellow and the grass comes with small flowers. However, the intricacies that surface in this section go beyond just general beauty since they expose layers of similarities and pairings among the lines.
For instance, yellow is a warm color, while green is a cool color. This means that she has crossed color styles to find similarity among these two elements. Furthermore, this cool and warm blend makes this section have links to nearly all colors that have been addressed previously since red would be noted as a warm color like yellow while the aforementioned blue is more related to the green style of cool colors.
The two unique colors that have occurred, are pink and white. Specifically, pink is red that can be soothed into a cool color that is relatable to purple, or it can be kept more red for a warm color, extending its pairing reach in regard to category. Additionally, white is a neutral tone that fits with any color, so it can be combined in the right circumstance with all other colors. In any event, whether because of a concrete cool color versus warm color stature or because of a combination, it is clear from the reach of these lines that every noted color, thus far, can pair with at least one other, which strengthens the overall idea of similarity.
To describe violet, Rossetti has chosen to use clouds. The more obvious choice would have been the flower, violet, but in doing so, this idea could not have reached back to elements of sky and swan. Rather, these lines would have been a continuation of the plant idea.