“Remembrance (Cold in the earth)” is a poem written in 1845 by the English poet and novelist Emily Brontë. An elegy, “Remembrance” explores death, grief, and loss, as the speaker mourns her first and only love, who died 15 years earlier. Brontë originally wrote the poem in the voice of a character from an imaginary world, Gondal, that she had invented with her siblings when they were children. This character was a queen named Rosina Alcona, who in the poem laments the loss of her beloved husband. When she published the poem, however, Brontë removed any references to this world. “Remembrance” was included in a collection Brontë published with her sisters, the writers Charlotte and Anne Brontë, in 1846.
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The Full Text of “Remembrance (Cold in the earth)”
1Cold in the earth—and the deep snow piled above thee,
2Far, far removed, cold in the dreary grave!
3Have I forgot, my only Love, to love thee,
4Severed at last by Time's all-severing wave?
5Now, when alone, do my thoughts no longer hover
6Over the mountains, on that northern shore,
7Resting their wings where heath and fern-leaves cover
8Thy noble heart forever, ever more?
9Cold in the earth—and fifteen wild Decembers,
10From those brown hills, have melted into spring:
11Faithful, indeed, is the spirit that remembers
12After such years of change and suffering!
13Sweet Love of youth, forgive, if I forget thee,
14While the world's tide is bearing me along;
15Other desires and other hopes beset me,
16Hopes which obscure, but cannot do thee wrong!
17No later light has lightened up my heaven,
18No second morn has ever shone for me;
19All my life's bliss from thy dear life was given,
20All my life's bliss is in the grave with thee.
21But, when the days of golden dreams had perished,
22And even Despair was powerless to destroy,
23Then did I learn how existence could be cherished,
24Strengthened, and fed without the aid of joy.
25Then did I check the tears of useless passion—
26Weaned my young soul from yearning after thine;
27Sternly denied its burning wish to hasten
28Down to that tomb already more than mine.
29And, even yet, I dare not let it languish,
30Dare not indulge in memory's rapturous pain;
31Once drinking deep of that divinest anguish,
32How could I seek the empty world again?
The Full Text of “Remembrance (Cold in the earth)”
1Cold in the earth—and the deep snow piled above thee,
2Far, far removed, cold in the dreary grave!
3Have I forgot, my only Love, to love thee,
4Severed at last by Time's all-severing wave?
5Now, when alone, do my thoughts no longer hover
6Over the mountains, on that northern shore,
7Resting their wings where heath and fern-leaves cover
8Thy noble heart forever, ever more?
9Cold in the earth—and fifteen wild Decembers,
10From those brown hills, have melted into spring:
11Faithful, indeed, is the spirit that remembers
12After such years of change and suffering!
13Sweet Love of youth, forgive, if I forget thee,
14While the world's tide is bearing me along;
15Other desires and other hopes beset me,
16Hopes which obscure, but cannot do thee wrong!
17No later light has lightened up my heaven,
18No second morn has ever shone for me;
19All my life's bliss from thy dear life was given,
20All my life's bliss is in the grave with thee.
21But, when the days of golden dreams had perished,
22And even Despair was powerless to destroy,
23Then did I learn how existence could be cherished,
24Strengthened, and fed without the aid of joy.
25Then did I check the tears of useless passion—
26Weaned my young soul from yearning after thine;
27Sternly denied its burning wish to hasten
28Down to that tomb already more than mine.
29And, even yet, I dare not let it languish,
30Dare not indulge in memory's rapturous pain;
31Once drinking deep of that divinest anguish,
32How could I seek the empty world again?
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“Remembrance (Cold in the earth)” Summary
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“Remembrance (Cold in the earth)” Themes
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Death, Grief, and Loss
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The Lasting Power of Love
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Remembrance (Cold in the earth)”
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Lines 1-2
Cold in the earth—and the deep snow piled above thee,
Far, far removed, cold in the dreary grave! -
Lines 3-4
Have I forgot, my only Love, to love thee,
Severed at last by Time's all-severing wave? -
Lines 5-8
Now, when alone, do my thoughts no longer hover
Over the mountains, on that northern shore,
Resting their wings where heath and fern-leaves cover
Thy noble heart forever, ever more? -
Lines 9-12
Cold in the earth—and fifteen wild Decembers,
From those brown hills, have melted into spring:
Faithful, indeed, is the spirit that remembers
After such years of change and suffering! -
Lines 13-16
Sweet Love of youth, forgive, if I forget thee,
While the world's tide is bearing me along;
Other desires and other hopes beset me,
Hopes which obscure, but cannot do thee wrong! -
Lines 17-20
No later light has lightened up my heaven,
No second morn has ever shone for me;
All my life's bliss from thy dear life was given,
All my life's bliss is in the grave with thee. -
Lines 21-24
But, when the days of golden dreams had perished,
And even Despair was powerless to destroy,
Then did I learn how existence could be cherished,
Strengthened, and fed without the aid of joy. -
Lines 25-28
Then did I check the tears of useless passion—
Weaned my young soul from yearning after thine;
Sternly denied its burning wish to hasten
Down to that tomb already more than mine. -
Lines 29-32
And, even yet, I dare not let it languish,
Dare not indulge in memory's rapturous pain;
Once drinking deep of that divinest anguish,
How could I seek the empty world again?
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“Remembrance (Cold in the earth)” Symbols
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Snow and Winter
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Wings
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Light
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“Remembrance (Cold in the earth)” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Allusion
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Anaphora
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Repetition
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Personification
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Metaphor
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End-Stopped Line
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Enjambment
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Caesura
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Aporia
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Consonance
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Assonance
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Imagery
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Alliteration
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“Remembrance (Cold in the earth)” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Remembrance
- Severed
- Hover
- Heath and fern-leaves
- Morn
- Bliss
- Cherished
- Check
- Weaned
- Languish
- Rapturous
- Anguish
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Remembrance (Cold in the earth)”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Remembrance (Cold in the earth)” Speaker
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“Remembrance (Cold in the earth)” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Remembrance (Cold in the earth)”
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More “Remembrance (Cold in the earth)” Resources
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External Resources
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The Gondal Poems — View the original manuscript of Emily Brontë’s Gondal poems, and read more about the poems.
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Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell — Read all of the poems in the collection that Brontë published with her sisters in 1846. This collection included “Remembrance.”
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Biography of Emily Brontë — Read about Emily Brontë's life and work and view a portrait of her via the Poetry Foundation.
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Emily Brontë and Emily Dickinson — Read this article at the Guardian about Emily Brontë and Emily Dickinson, including the text of a poem by Brontë that Dickinson loved, "Now Coward Soul is Mine."
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The Romantic, Victorian, and Gothic Movements in Literature — Read more about different aspects of the Romantic and Victorian movements and the Gothic in this article from the British Library.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Emily Bronte
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