Christina Rossetti's poem "A Birthday" uses imagery of nature and objects made from nature to express the depth of her love. In two stanzas of iambic tetrameter, the speaker compares her heart first to singing birds and fruit-bearing trees, and second to an imperishable rainbow shell and an ornate silk structure, saying her love makes her heart glad beyond even these images. The poem celebrates the deep emotions of love that cannot be fully captured by comparisons to nature alone.

1. “A Birthday”
By: Christina Rossetti

2. BackgroundBackground
Born: 1830; London, EnglandBorn: 1830; London, England
Died: 1894Died: 1894
Occupation: writer, poet, short story, proseOccupation: writer, poet, short story, prose
writerwriter
Father was in Italian exileFather was in Italian exile
Other works include:Other works include: Goblin Market andGoblin Market and
Other Poems, The Prince’s Progress andOther Poems, The Prince’s Progress and
Other PoemsOther Poems

3. “A Birthday”
My heart is like a singing bird
Whose nest is in a watered shoot;
My heart is like an apple tree
Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;
My heart is like a rainbow shell
That paddles in a halcyon sea;
My heart is gladder than all of these
Because my love is come to me
Raise me a dais of silk and down;
Hang it with vair and purple dyes;
Carve it in doves and pomegranates,
And peacocks with a hundred eyes;
Work it in gold and silver grapes,
In leaves and silver fleurs-de-lys;
Because the birthday of my life
Is come, my love is come to me

4. Theme
 “Love between people is a deeper emotion
than can be expressed even by natural
images of rapture and abundance.”
 1st
stanza: nature
 2nd
stanza: things made from nature that are
imperishable

5. SymbolismSymbolism
 ““singing bird”singing bird”
 ““Whose nest is in a watered shoot”Whose nest is in a watered shoot”
 ““fleur-de-lys” and “purple dyes”fleur-de-lys” and “purple dyes”
 ““dais”dais”
 ““rainbow shell” in the “halcyon sea”rainbow shell” in the “halcyon sea”

6. Speaker/Tone
 Someone who is in love with life
 But it may also be a person
 “my love is come to me”
 Soothing, happy, reverie, imaginative
 Conversational

7. Imagery
 1st
stanza all imagery was affiliated with
figures of speech
 2nd
stanza the imagery forms a complete
picture in the reader’s mind

8. StructureStructure
Iambic tetrameterIambic tetrameter
Lyric poemLyric poem
2 stanzas containing 8 lines each2 stanzas containing 8 lines each

9. Sound Patterns
 Rhyming
 shoot, fruit
 Alliteration
 boughs are bent
 Assonance
 paddles, halcyon, gladder
 Consonance
 thickset, fruit, bent

10. Personal Response
 Imagery was used really well
 Unique idea to compare her love and life to a
birthday
 Has a nice rhythm and the words flow
together

11. Historical ContextHistorical Context
 ““Women and Society”Women and Society”
 Women writers were expected to limit theWomen writers were expected to limit the
subjects of their poemssubjects of their poems
 ““A Birthday” was acceptable because it wasA Birthday” was acceptable because it was
about loveabout love

12. Figures of Speech
 Similes in 1st
stanza compare to things in
nature
 “My heart is like a singing bird”
 Hyperboles
 “boughs are bent with thickset fruit”
 Metaphors
 “A Birthday”

13. Works CitedWorks Cited
 ““Christina Rossetti.”Christina Rossetti.” EXPLORING Poetry.EXPLORING Poetry. Online EditorOnline Editor
2003. Reproduced in Student Resource Center.2003. Reproduced in Student Resource Center.
Detroit: Gale, 2004.Detroit: Gale, 2004.
http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SRChttp://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SRC
 "Criticism: 'A Birthday' by Christina Rossetti.""Criticism: 'A Birthday' by Christina Rossetti."
EXPLORING PoetryEXPLORING Poetry. Online Edition. Gale, 2003.. Online Edition. Gale, 2003.
Reproduced in Student Resource Center. Detroit:Reproduced in Student Resource Center. Detroit: Gale,Gale,
2004.2004.
http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SRChttp://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SRC
 LaBlanc, Michael.LaBlanc, Michael. Poetry for StudentsPoetry for Students. 10 ed.. 10 ed.
Farmington Hills: Gale Group, 2001.Farmington Hills: Gale Group, 2001.