Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, ONE OF THE DEAD, by CHRISTINA GEORGINA ROSSETTI


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

ONE OF THE DEAD, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: Paler, not quite so fair as in her life
Last Line: Friends, she but slumbers, wherefore do ye weep?
Alternate Author Name(s): Alleyne, Ellen; Rossetti, Christina
Subject(s): Death; Grief; Life; Mourning; Dead, The; Sorrow; Sadness; Bereavement


Paler, not quite so fair as in her life,
She lies upon the bed, perfectly still;
Her little hands clasped with a patient will
Upon her bosom, swelling without strife;
An honoured virgin, a most blameless wife.
The roses lean upon the window sill,
That she trained once; their sweets the hot air fill,
And make the death-apartment odour-rife.
Her meek white hands folded upon her breast,
Her gentle eyes closed in the long last sleep,
She lieth down in her unbroken rest;
Her kin, kneeling around, a vigil keep,
Venting their grief in low sobs unrepressed: --
Friends, she but slumbers, wherefore do ye weep?





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