Remember

Remember

Remember me when I am gone away,

Gone far away into the silent land;

When you can no more hold me by the hand,

Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.

Remember me when no more day by day

You tell me of our future that you planned:

Only remember me; you understand

It will be late to counsel then or prey.

Yet if you should forget me for a while

And afterwards remember, do not grieve:

For if the darkness and corruption leave

A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,

Better by far that you should forget and be smile

Than that you should remember and be sad.

Christian Rossetti

Ever since I read this poem for the first time it has had a extound effect on me and the way I think about the life I am leading. For me this poem is beutiful and intreaging.
I don't think there will be any other poem that i read in my life time that will have the same impact as this one has on me.
I first read this poem one night a year or so ago snuggled tight in bed, I have always admired poems and everyone I read I analyse. This night I borroed my mum's book and sat going througheach poem it contained. When I got to this one it imideatly had a impact on me after the first reading. It would give a glow to my face and make me smile inside.
Over the years I have gained a excelent memory for remembering words. Especially monologues and poems (this is mostly due to my old drama teacher who use to try and nail the words into my head) but recently the more poetry I read the more I remember the words. So remembering the poem was no proble to me. I would always recite the poem in my head.
Then one day some one brought me the book, it is rather worn now, at at the moment I have leant it to my friend on with the authority that she brings it back and reads it carfully.

There is something that connects me to this poem. Especially the last two lines.

Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.

Do you not see these lines as a comfort.
For me this poem means that once you have lost a loved one, don't be worried about forgetting about them, they will always be there in your heart. That they would prefer that you would forget and with that be happy. Than that you constantly remember the person, for you your life will not continue but by remembering them this way you will be lonely.

I relate this to my baby Pru and Harry. I relate to it that much that I follow these words as if they were written down in the bible, because I believe that this is the way they would want me to be. I certainly know that if I died that I woul perfer my little ones to be happy, even if they forget me.
I am going to remember them and be happy. If a tear falls from my face it is happiness for the life they have been given and how they will always be in my heart.

I admit that it is not untill I have written this poem here that I have noticed the autor 'Christina Rossetti'. I do not know anything about her. However seeing that she wrote the poem really surprised me. In all honesty I though that a man had written it for the reason that I though that he would of written it to his wife when he was at war to hand to her in case of his death. I have been proven wronge.

I will recite this poem untill my dying day, just as i have done for Pru from when she was born to her death.