A Dirge
by Christina Georgina Rossetti — a poem card from Justes Mots
A dirge laments that someone was born in winter's harshness rather than spring's renewal, and died in spring's mercy rather than autumn's decline—suggesting life's fundamental misalignment with natural rhythms. Rossetti uses seasonal imagery to express grief over untimely death and life's tragic discord. Appropriate for funerals or memorials addressing unexpected or untimely loss.
Why were you born when the snow was falling?
You should have come to the cuckoo's calling,
Or when grapes are green in the cluster,
Or, at least, when lithe swallows muster
For their far off flying
From summer dying.
Why did you die when the lambs were cropping?…