“A Dirge” by Christina Rossetti: A Critical Analysis

Introduction: “A Dirge” by Christina Rossetti

“A Dirge” by Christina Rossetti first appeared in 1866 in her collection The Prince’s Progress and Other Poems. Known for its mournful and somber tone, this poem reflects Rossetti’s meditative and introspective style. “A Dirge” explores themes of loss, impermanence, and the brevity of life, embodying the Romantic era’s preoccupation with mortality and the natural world. The poem is structured with a simple, rhythmic flow that underscores the sadness of an untimely death, likely that of a young person, and evokes a melancholic mood through vivid imagery of the changing seasons and fading life. Through her concise and evocative language, Rossetti presents a poignant commentary on human fragility and the inescapable passage of time, which are central ideas within her work.

Text: “A Dirge” by Christina Rossetti

Annotations: “A Dirge” by Christina Rossetti

Line	Annotation
“Why were you born when the snow was falling?”	The speaker questions the timing of the addressee’s birth, symbolized by winter—a season associated with coldness, dormancy, and death, suggesting an inauspicious beginning for someone born during this time.
“You should have come to the cuckoo’s calling,”	The line suggests an ideal birth during spring, symbolized by the cuckoo, a bird associated with renewal, hope, and the arrival of warmer seasons, implying the addressee’s life would have been more fitting in a season of life and growth.
“Or when grapes are green in the cluster,”	Here, summer is evoked with imagery of green grapes, suggesting that birth in a season of fruition would have been more prosperous or joyful, contrasting the melancholy of a winter birth.
“Or, at least, when lithe swallows muster”	The swallows preparing to migrate in late summer symbolize transition and movement, hinting at a season of activity and vigor—qualities the speaker wishes had surrounded the addressee’s birth.
“For their far off flying”	The swallows’ departure for migration represents the inevitable passage of time and cycles of life. The line implies an acceptance of movement and change, though tinged with melancholy.
“From summer dying.”	The end of summer signals a transition towards decay and colder months, symbolizing life’s impermanence. The addressee’s birth in this context highlights a sorrowful beginning in a season’s decline.
“Why did you die when the lambs were cropping?”	The speaker laments the timing of the addressee’s death in spring, a time of new beginnings and life, symbolized by lambs grazing, suggesting that their death was untimely and against the natural cycle of renewal.
“You should have died at the apples’ dropping,”	The idealized season for death is autumn, symbolized by the apple harvest, which represents completion and closure in life, implying that passing in this season would be more fitting, aligning with nature’s decline.
“When the grasshopper comes to trouble,”	Grasshoppers in literature often symbolize the end of summer and the fading vitality of the year. The line suggests death would be more appropriate in a time when nature itself begins to tire and decline.
“And the wheat-fields are sodden stubble,”	Post-harvest, the fields are bare and lifeless, conveying a sense of desolation that mirrors the sadness of death, suggesting this setting as a more natural time for passing away than spring.
“And all winds go sighing”	The sighing winds symbolize sorrow and lamentation, reflecting the natural world’s mournful atmosphere in late autumn and the inherent sadness associated with loss and endings.
“For sweet things dying.”	This line encapsulates the poem’s theme of natural cycles of life and death, where all “sweet things” inevitably pass, reinforcing the speaker’s sorrow over the untimely and misplaced death of the addressee.

Literary And Poetic Devices: “A Dirge” by Christina Rossetti

Device	Definition	Example	Explanation
Allusion Alliteration	An indirect reference to something outside the text.	“cuckoo’s calling”	The cuckoo bird is symbolic of spring, evoking nature and seasonal change, suggesting life and vibrancy. It is also an alliteration due to the repeated initial consonant sound of “c.”
Anaphora	Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of consecutive lines.	“You should have”	This phrase is repeated in lines 2 and 7, creating a rhythmic emphasis and a tone of lament or regret.
Assonance	Repetition of vowel sounds within words.	“Why did you die”	The “i” sound repeats, lending a melancholic tone to the line, enhancing the sorrowful atmosphere.
Consonance	Repetition of consonant sounds within words.	“When the lambs were cropping”	The “m” sound recurs, adding a subtle musicality that underscores the theme of loss and longing.
Enjambment	Continuation of a sentence or clause across a line break.	“Or, at least, when lithe swallows muster / For their far off flying”	The thought extends across lines, giving a sense of movement and connecting nature’s cycles with life’s transient moments.
Imagery	Descriptive language appealing to the senses.	“When the grasshopper comes to trouble”	This image evokes the sounds and life of summer, contrasting with the death suggested in the poem.
Internal rhyme	Rhyme within a single line of poetry.	“When grapes are green in the cluster”	“Green” and “cluster” create a subtle internal rhyme that enhances the musical quality.
Irony	Expression where the meaning contrasts with expectation.	“You should have come to the cuckoo’s calling”	It’s ironic that the speaker laments that the loved one didn’t arrive in spring, yet they have now left the world.
Juxtaposition	Placing contrasting elements close together for effect.	“When the snow was falling… cuckoo’s calling”	The contrast between winter (death) and spring (life) emphasizes the unnatural timing of the birth and death mentioned.
Metaphor	A comparison without using “like” or “as.”	“When the grasshopper comes to trouble”	The grasshopper symbolizes the noise of summer, possibly troubling the quiet that comes with death.
Mood	The atmosphere or emotional setting of a poem.	Entire poem	The mournful, reflective mood is established through the references to seasons, death, and passing time.
Personification	Assigning human traits to non-human things.	“Winds go sighing”	The wind is personified as sighing, evoking sorrow, as though nature mourns the death described in the poem.
Repetition	Repeating words or phrases for emphasis.	“Why… why”	The repetition of “why” emphasizes the speaker’s grief and confusion regarding the loved one’s birth and death timing.
Rhetorical question	A question asked for effect, not for an answer.	“Why were you born when the snow was falling?”	The question expresses the speaker’s lament and sense of tragic timing without expecting an answer.
Rhyme scheme	The pattern of rhyme in a poem.	AABBCC	The rhyme scheme creates a musicality and order, contrasting with the disorder of loss and mourning.
Simile	A comparison using “like” or “as.”	N/A	Although “A Dirge” doesn’t have a simile directly, its other figurative language conveys vivid comparisons without explicit similes.
Symbolism	Using symbols to represent ideas or qualities.	“snow,” “cuckoo,” “lambs,” “wheat-fields”	Seasons and nature symbolize stages of life, from youth to death, mirroring the life cycle of the lost individual.
Tone	The poet’s attitude toward the subject.	Entire poem	The tone is reflective and mournful, underscoring the themes of death, loss, and missed ideal moments.
Theme	The central idea or message of a poem.	Entire poem	The inevitability of death and the misalignment of life’s ideal timing form the main theme of “A Dirge.”

Themes: “A Dirge” by Christina Rossetti

1. Mourning and Loss: The poem is a lament for the loss of a loved one, with the speaker questioning the timing of their birth and death, which adds to the sense of sorrow. The repeated questioning in lines like “Why were you born when the snow was falling?” underscores the grief and confusion felt by the speaker. The timing of life events, coming at “the wrong season,” reflects an unfulfilled potential or a life cut short, heightening the mourning tone.
2. The Cycles of Nature and Life: Rossetti juxtaposes the natural cycles of seasons with the human life cycle, drawing on nature as a symbol of life stages. For instance, the “cuckoo’s calling” symbolizes spring and new life, while “the snow was falling” represents winter, a season often associated with death. This seasonal imagery serves to contrast the natural order with the unexpected and untimely death, emphasizing the disruption of life’s natural flow.
3. The Inevitable Passage of Time: The poem reflects on the unavoidable passage of time, with each line reinforcing the continuous cycle of seasons and life events. Phrases like “when the lambs were cropping” and “at the apples’ dropping” mark distinct times in nature that align with human experiences. By using these temporal markers, Rossetti suggests that just as seasons change, so too does life, often in ways we cannot control, reflecting the transient nature of existence.
4. Regret and Missed Timing: The poem conveys a profound sense of regret for the timing of the loved one’s life events, which do not align with the speaker’s ideals of birth in spring and death in autumn. Lines like “You should have come to the cuckoo’s calling” and “You should have died at the apples’ dropping” emphasize the misalignment between natural beauty and life’s key moments. This regret underscores the speaker’s longing for a different, perhaps more fitting, life path for the deceased, highlighting the human desire for an ideal sequence in life’s milestones.

Literary Theories and “A Dirge” by Christina Rossetti

Literary Theory	Explanation	References from the Poem
Feminist Theory	Feminist theory can be applied to explore the poem’s portrayal of grief, highlighting how women historically have been expected to process and express emotions like mourning.	The speaker’s mournful tone and expressions of regret (“Why were you born when the snow was falling?”) reflect the culturally gendered expectations for women’s emotional depth.
Ecocriticism	This theory examines the relationship between literature and nature, looking at how natural imagery conveys themes of life, death, and seasonal cycles in the poem.	Rossetti’s use of nature imagery like “the snow was falling” and “cuckoo’s calling” connects human life events with seasonal changes, portraying life’s cycles within nature.
Psychoanalytic Theory	Psychoanalytic theory analyzes the speaker’s grief and expressions of loss as projections of unconscious desires, such as a wish to control life’s timing and idealize loss.	The speaker’s rhetorical questioning (“Why did you die when the lambs were cropping?”) reveals an inner turmoil and desire to rationalize the untimely death of the loved one.

Critical Questions about “A Dirge” by Christina Rossetti

• How does the use of seasonal imagery reflect the theme of untimely death?
• Rossetti’s use of seasonal imagery serves to highlight the unnatural timing of life events, especially birth and death. The speaker laments that the loved one was born “when the snow was falling” instead of “when grapes are green in the cluster,” which signifies life’s spring and growth phases. Winter and snow typically represent death or dormancy, while spring symbolizes life and renewal. By setting the birth and death in opposing seasons, Rossetti underscores a sense of discord with nature, symbolizing a life taken out of its rightful time and emphasizing the poignancy of an early death.
• What role does regret play in the poem’s expression of mourning?
• Regret is central to the poem’s mourning tone, as the speaker expresses sorrow over the loved one’s life events not aligning with more favorable times. The repeated use of “You should have” emphasizes the speaker’s feeling that the loved one’s birth and death were tragically mistimed. This lament is encapsulated in lines like “You should have come to the cuckoo’s calling” and “You should have died at the apples’ dropping,” where the speaker imagines alternative, more “fitting” times for these events. This regret reflects a yearning for control over life’s outcomes, accentuating the sadness of the situation.
• How does the poem explore the inevitability of death?
• “A Dirge” presents death as an inescapable and universal force, woven into the fabric of nature itself. The references to natural cycles—such as “when the lambs were cropping” and “the wheat-fields are sodden stubble”—serve as reminders of life’s progression toward inevitable ends. By grounding the poem in seasonal changes, Rossetti mirrors human life with natural cycles, suggesting that just as seasons transition, so too does human life move toward its end. Despite the speaker’s regret over timing, death remains an unalterable reality, underscoring the poem’s resigned tone toward mortality.
• What is the significance of the poem’s rhetorical questions?
• The rhetorical questions in the poem convey the speaker’s internal struggle with understanding the timing of the loved one’s birth and death, reflecting both confusion and emotional turmoil. Phrases like “Why were you born when the snow was falling?” and “Why did you die when the lambs were cropping?” reveal a sense of helplessness, as if questioning can somehow make sense of or rectify the loss. The questions highlight the speaker’s desire for a more harmonious alignment of life events with nature, while also underscoring the sorrow and frustration inherent in the mourning process, as the speaker seeks answers that may never come.

Literary Works Similar to “A Dirge” by Christina Rossetti

1. “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson
   This poem, like Rossetti’s, contemplates the inevitability of death, personifying it and exploring life’s end with a reflective tone.
2. “Ode to the West Wind” by Percy Bysshe Shelley
   Shelley’s poem uses seasonal imagery to convey themes of life, death, and rebirth, similar to Rossetti’s use of nature to reflect the cycle of life and loss.
3. “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas
   Thomas’s poem reflects a mournful yet defiant attitude toward death, resonating with Rossetti’s exploration of loss and timing in life’s end.
4. “Break, Break, Break” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
   Tennyson’s poem expresses profound grief and loss against a natural backdrop, paralleling Rossetti’s mournful reflection on death within the cycle of seasons.
5. “The Darkling Thrush” by Thomas Hardy
   Hardy’s poem uses winter imagery and a reflective tone on life and death, echoing Rossetti’s thematic alignment of human emotions with the bleakness of nature.

Representative Quotations of “A Dirge” by Christina Rossetti

Quotation	Context	Theoretical Perspective
“Why were you born when the snow was falling?”	The speaker questions the timing of the loved one’s birth, associating it with winter’s bleakness.	Psychoanalytic Theory – Reflects the speaker’s unconscious struggle with the inevitability of death.
“You should have come to the cuckoo’s calling”	Here, the speaker imagines a more suitable season, spring, for the loved one’s birth.	Ecocriticism – Highlights the human desire to align life events with the natural world’s ideal patterns.
“Or, at least, when lithe swallows muster”	The speaker suggests autumn as a season of harmony, fitting for life’s passages.	Structuralism – Uses seasonal symbols to convey life cycles and societal meanings attached to nature.
“Why did you die when the lambs were cropping?”	This rhetorical question expresses the speaker’s pain over the untimely death in spring.	Feminist Theory – Reflects emotional expression traditionally associated with femininity in mourning.
“You should have died at the apples’ dropping”	The speaker imagines autumn, a season of completion, as a more fitting time for death.	Symbolism – Represents death as a natural process, ideally aligning with seasonal decline.
“When the grasshopper comes to trouble”	This line evokes the noise of summer, contrasting with the silence of winter and loss.	Ecocriticism – Depicts nature as reflecting human emotions and life’s turbulence.
“And the wheat-fields are sodden stubble”	The barren fields in autumn symbolize life’s end, suggesting the speaker’s idealized season for death.	Pastoralism – Uses rural imagery to explore human mortality through the life-death cycle in nature.
“And all winds go sighing”	Nature itself seems to mourn, with the wind “sighing” in sympathy with the speaker’s grief.	Personification – Nature embodies human sorrow, creating a shared mourning in the landscape.
“For sweet things dying”	The phrase links the sweetness of life with its fleeting nature, emphasizing beauty in the transience of life.	Romanticism – Highlights the beauty found in mortality and the emotional resonance of life’s brevity.
“From summer dying”	The shift from summer to autumn symbolizes the inevitable transition from life to death.	Symbolic Theory – Uses seasonal transition as a metaphor for the inevitability of life’s end.

Suggested Readings: “A Dirge” by Christina Rossetti

1. Rosenblum, Dolores. “Christina Rossetti’s Religious Poetry: Watching, Looking, Keeping Vigil.” Victorian Poetry, vol. 20, no. 1, 1982, pp. 33–49. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40003689. Accessed 25 Oct. 2024.
2. Chapman, Alison. “Defining the Feminine Subject: D. G. Rossetti’s Manuscript Revisions to Christina Rossetti’s Poetry.” Victorian Poetry, vol. 35, no. 2, 1997, pp. 139–56. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40003618. Accessed 25 Oct. 2024.
3. Humphries, Simon. “Christina Rossetti’s Tennysonianism.” The Cambridge Quarterly, vol. 44, no. 1, 2015, pp. 43–61. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43492470. Accessed 25 Oct. 2024.
4. Courtney, W. S. “Lesser Literary Lights.” The North American Review, vol. 211, no. 775, 1920, pp. 793–804. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25120531. Accessed 25 Oct. 2024.