The poem discusses the transient nature of life and uncertainty of faith using natural imagery. It depicts life as fleeting and unsatisfying like a "passing breath" or "rust-eaten treasure". Religious doubts are represented by imagery like a "falling leaf" or "lengthening shadows". Over the stanzas, imagery of fading nature implies concepts like religion are fading from the speaker's control, leaving them feeling purposeless and adrift in a changing world.

1. DAYS OF
- Christina Rossetti
VANITY

2. Language
‘A dream that waketh’ - implies she is suddenly entering reality of which
she is not accustomed to.
‘Bubble’ suggests the voice of the poem is delicate and vulnerable.
‘Smoke’ implies uncertainty although as it has ‘vanisheth’ some sort of
clarification has entered her life - possibly that of religion and faith.
‘Falling of the leaf’ - continues the sense of uncertainty and element of
uncontrollability and the frustrations this has caused to the voice of the
poem (possibly Rossetti).
The ‘falling leaf ’ may be a metaphor representing the religious doubts the
poet feels, although the word ‘falling’ gives connotations of the ‘fallen
women’ and therefore constitutes the disapproval of society, that can
similarly be seen by supporting science over religion .
‘Morning dew that drieth’ implies there is a sense of backwardness to the
poem, as the uncertainty continues and results in a mismatch of ideas that
maybe aren’t destined to be together. ‘A windy blast’ suggests something
has happened to the poet in the form of a revelation that has shocked and
appalled them. The use of ‘blast’ is a military word and so gives a harsh
and brutal element to the poem.

3. Lengthening shadows’ suggests the uncertainty of a shadow as it is not filled with
something of substance and so may represent the ongoing faith in god and traditional
religion as it ‘lengthens. ‘Moth on the wing’ suggests something that is not grounded
and so can easily be changed - this may represent the lack of certainty and loyalty to her
religious beliefs.
‘Unprofiting’ suggests a sense of restlessness and doubt whilst also implying she is
useless - this could relate to her views on religion or that of life.
‘Morrow by morrow’ suggests a sense of ongoingness that again, cannot be controlled
which creates an element of tedium throughout her life - this may relate to her opinion
of traditional religion. ‘This is my song’ - this implies she is writing on a more personal
note about her beliefs and opinions as ‘my’ gives personal and intimate connotations.
‘We lapse out of sight’ - suggests she may be questioning traditional and conventional
methods of living - this may relate to religion or even her life in particular. ‘Lapse’
suggests a temporary failure and this may be her regretting questioning her religious
beliefs.

4. Imagery
A passing breath, Smoke that vanisheth’ reflects the title of ‘vanity’ as it is clean
and fresh and therefore has pride in the days.
‘Rust-eaten treasure’suggests it’s been untouched for a long time and the ‘days of
vanity’ have been going on for a long time.
Contradictions of the beauty of nature ‘summer time brief’ (not long), ‘a windy
blast’ and ‘shadows cast’.This might suggest that nature isn’t always beautiful but
can be wild and out of control and not always working in our favour. And ‘rust
eaten treasure’makes it seem like nothing can last. It will be ruined in time, this
highlights the conflict between nature.
Lots of natural imagery in stanza 2: ‘flower’ ‘fruit’ ‘bird’ ‘summer’ ‘leaf’) which
can be seen as beautiful and links to the title ‘vanity’
‘A flower that fadeth’ - the use of natural imagery not only envelopes the
element of purity and lack of control but the fact that it ‘fadeth’ implies an
idea or concept (possibly religion) is fading uncontrollably.

5. Link
“Such is life that dieth”, the repetition used throughout the poem
emphasises the impact of the message, it can be suggested that the
poet is conveying the idea that life is fleeting and will eventually end.
However, a religious undertone can be identified within the phrase. If the
pessimistic attitude is ignored, it can be suggested that the poet is trying to
express the idea that while life is earthly and unsatisfying, people must look
beyond life, in a spirituality sense in order to be fulfilled.
Whereas in “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, the idea of achieving
self- satisfaction in life is seen as more desirable, “nothing can cure the
soul but the senses”, here the author may be depicting a common notion
that may have been present among the Victorian upper class. The idea
that only through sensual pleasure that happiness can be obtained,
contrasts with the ideas in Rossetti’s poem, who suggest that early
pleasures are nothing more than vanity.

6. Stanza 1: The theme of inevitable death, and the transience of life is shown , both
through the direct reference to death and the imagery of the vanishing smoke and the
ending of a dream. This awareness of death is a theme common in Victorian poetry
in general and Rosetti’s poetry in particular.
Stanza 2: The natural imagery of fruit maturing, falling from the tree gives
a sense of the natural passing of time.The image of the flying bird unguided by
anything has strong connotations of freedom, and lack of restriction. “Summer time
brief, falling of the leaf” could be symbolic of the purity of an unmarried woman
disappearing as she becomes a fallen woman.
Stanza 3: The negative imagery of the natural world drying up/failing could be
symbolic if the loss of the natural world to the industrial revolution.
Stanza 4: “toil unprofiting” suggest endless and unrewarding work which could be
Rossetti suggesting that life without purpose or religion is tiring and unrewarding, a
criticism of the new age of science.
Stanza 5: Could be a reference to the loss of simple religious faith in victorian age,
and the feeling of being lost to god and having lost sight of that which once guided
them.