Read the poem and answer the following question.
Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you plann'd:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.
How does the speaker’s attitude change from the line “Yet if you should forget me for a while”?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → From pleading to be remembered to gently allowing the beloved to forget
Pleading means asking again and again in an earnest way.
- In the first eight lines the speaker keeps asking the beloved to remember her after her death.
- The word “Yet” marks a turn. Now the speaker says “do not grieve” if the beloved forgets for a while.
- It is better to “forget and smile” than to be sad. The tone stays soft and kind.
- The speaker now lets the beloved forget.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: From calm acceptance to bitter complaint — Incorrect. Opposite meaning: There is no bitterness in the last lines. The speaker comforts the beloved and says “do not grieve”.
Option 2: From hope to deep despair — Incorrect. Wrong meaning: Despair means a complete loss of hope. The poem ends with the wish that the beloved should smile. There is no despair.
Option 4: From tenderness to open anger — Incorrect. Opposite meaning: Tenderness means gentle love. The speaker stays tender to the end and shows no anger at being forgotten.