Page 189 - 100 Best Loved Poems - Teaching Unit
P. 189
“A Birthday”
by Christina Rossetti, page 71
Vocabulary
halcyon – calm and peaceful
dais – table of honor
vair – fur
fleurs-de-lys – an iris
1. What is the relationship between the first stanza (with its similes) and the second stanza?
2. What kinds of images does Rossetti use in the last stanza? What do the images have in
common? Why do you think she chose these images?
3. The last few lines tell the reader that the speaker feels it is “the birthday of my life”
because she has found love. What do you think is meant by such a statement?
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