What is pink? A rose is pink
By the fountain's brink.
What is red? A poppy's red
In its barley bed.
What is blue? The sky is blue
Where the clouds float through.
What is white? A swan is white
Sailing in the light.
What is yellow? Pears are yellow
Rich and ripe and mellow.
What is green? The grass is green,
With small flowers between.
What is violet? Clouds are violet
In the summer twilight.
What is orange? Why, an orange,
Just an orange!
by Christina Rossetti (1830-94)
From Sing-Song, a book of nursery rhymes by Christina Rossetti published in 1893.
Christina Rossetti was a member of the distinguished group of poets and artists, known as the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, founded by her brother the artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti in 1848. Members included James Collinson, John Everett Millais, Frederic George Stephens, Thomas Woolner and William Holman Hunt.
Despite their Italian names the Rossettis were a first generation British family living in London. Their father was a poet and political refugee from Naples, their mother was the sister of Byron's physician John Polidori.
Christina's health was poor and she left school at the age of 14 following a nervous breakdown and suffered from bouts of depression and ill health afterwards. With her mother Frances she became very interested in the anglo-catholic movement in England and her devotion to this cause led to the the break up of her romance with James Collinson when he reverted to Catholicism. She never married although there were several romances in her life.
Although she started writing at 7 her first work was not published until she was 31 when Goblin Market and Other Poems (1862) was published to much critical praise.
In 1893 Rossetti developed cancer and Graves' disease then died the following year due to the cancer on December 29, 1894; she is buried in Highgate Cemetery.
In the early 20th century Rossetti's popularity faded as many respected Victorian writers' reputations suffered from Modernism's backlash. Rossetti remained largely unnoticed and unread until the 1970s when feminist scholars began to recover and comment on her work.
In the last few decades Rossetti's writing has been rediscovered and she has regained admittance into the Victorian literary canon. Remember Me is one of her better known works.
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