Come not, when I am dead...
Come not, when I am dead... - meaning Summary
Rejection After Grief
The speaker rejects belated pity and demands that a former lover not mourn at their grave. They accuse the addressee of failing to save them in life and prefer the solitude of wind and plover cries to hollow displays of sorrow. Unmoved by explanations or future marriages, the speaker is exhausted by time and seeks permanent rest, insisting on final separation and emotional closure.
Read Complete AnalysesCome not, when I am dead, To drop thy foolish tears upon my grave, To trample round my fallen head, And vex the unhappy dust thou wouldst not save. There let the wind sweep and the plover cry; But thou, go by. Child, if it were thine error or thy crime I care no longer, being all unblest: Wed whom thou wilt, but I am sick of Time, And I desire to rest. Pass on, weak heart, and leave me where I lie: Go by, go by.
First published in The Keepsake for 1851.
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