Song Summary

Song is very brief and links people in different stages of life to flowers. Roses and young people are matched and laurels are paired with people in their prime. The narrator has grown old before her time and chooses to be represented by ivy leaves.

The second verse links flowers with the age of people when they die. Young graves are covered with violets, graves of people in their prime are adorned with bay leaves and the narrator's grave is strewn with ivy leaves to show that she died before her time.

Song Analysis

This poem demonstrates a preoccupation with the topic of death. The narrator is so unhappy that all she can think about is the topic of death. The choice of ivy leaves is interesting, as ivy is known for sucking life from other trees. Reading between the lines we can...