Remember [me when I am gone away]

Poem

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 plann'd:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.

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 you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.


-- Christina Rossetti--

About

“Remember” was first published in the poetry collection “Goblin Market, The Prince’s Progress, and Other Poems” in 1862. “Remember” is one of Christina Rossetti’s most well-known and widely anthologized poems, and is considered a classic of Victorian poetry.

The poem encourages the comforting remembrance of a loved one, but also grants permission to make peace and move on from grief. “Better by far you should forget and smile / Than that you should remember and be sad.”

Author

Christina Rossetti was a prominent poet of the Victorian era, known for her religious and devotional poetry. She was born in London in 1830, the youngest of four children of Gabriele Rossetti, an Italian political exile, and Frances Polidori, a cousin of Lord Byron’s friend John William Polidori. She grew up in a literate and artistic household and began writing poetry at an early age.

Throughout her life, Christina was deeply religious, and her faith played a significant role in her work. She wrote many religious poems, hymns, and devotions, and her poetry reflects her strong Christian beliefs and devotion.

In her personal life, Christina lived a relatively reclusive and private life, and she did not marry or have children. She suffered from chronic health problems throughout her life, and in later years, she became increasingly withdrawn and secluded. Despite her reclusiveness, she had a close relationship with her brother Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who was also an artist and poet.

Christina Rossetti’s poetry was well-received during her lifetime, and she was considered one of the leading poets of her generation. Some of her most famous poems include “Goblin Market,” “Remember,” and “In the Bleak Midwinter.”

Christina Rossetti died on December 29, 1894 at the age of 64. She had been suffering from a variety of health problems for many years, including Graves’ disease. Her death was reported as due to cancer. Christina’s funeral was a private affair and her burial was in Highgate cemetery in London.

Other Remember Me Funeral Poems

• Remember Me [with smiles and laughter]
  • By Michael Landon, often attributed to Laura Ingalls Wilder
  • From Little House on the Prairie TV show
• Remember Me [To the living, I am gone]
  • By Margaret Mead
• Remember Me [Do not shed tears when I have gone but smile because I have lived]
  • By David Harkins
  • As read by Queen Elizabeth at the Queen Mother’s funeral
  • Different versions – She is gone: “You can shed tears that she is gone / or you can smile because she has lived”
• Remember Me [speak of me as you always have done]
  • By Anthony Dowson