Remember by Rossetti

Remember by Rossetti

The opening two lines of Rossetti’s sonnet "Remember" introduce the

idea of separation, but whether the speaker’s eminent departure is

because she has chosen to leave her lover or because she is dying is

not immediately clear. As the poem unfolds, the reader understands

that death will divide the couple, and the initial hint of that is the

phrase "silent land" to describe the place the speaker is going. The

words seem to define a cemetery or individual grave more than heaven,

and "silent," in particular, implies a dormant state—an existence and

a place that are neither joyous nor painful, pleasant nor sad. The

opening lines also portray the speaker’s desire to be remembered, and

she requests her lover to do just that. This request will become more

signifi...