Christina Rossetti, a Victorian poet, expressed nature to portray spiritual imagery in her poetry. Rossetti wrote about nature in her poetry often, comparing its beauty to her emotions surrounding death, like in 'Song'. Although she lived in London, the theme of nature being paradisiac is constant throughout her poetry. A lot of this imagery was influenced by earlier poet John Keats, such as the nightingale in her poem 'Song'. As a high Anglican, Rossetti embraces nature, as it was seen as a gift from God. Describing it as utopian, she constistently related her love of nature to her love of God. Overall, Rossetti uses nature to project her love for God, and the admiration she has for nature, due to the freedom it gives her.

The rejection of classic religious rituals is hinted at by Rossetti in her poem 'Song'. The persona demands that "no roses" should be left at her head "nor shady cypres tree". These plants were both often used at funerals, as religious rituals after death. These commands imply that although Rossetti was High Anglican, she does not want to be remembered by a ritual, which is forced and artificial. The command "Be the green grass above me" also suggests this, as it implies that she would rather be a continuum of natures cycle. The stress of the word "be", forcing a break in the iambic trimeter is used. This furthers the command and makes it an unnatural rhytm, perhaps used to highlight the personas rejection for artificial remembrance. This idea is also featured in the poem "Paradise: in a dream", when the persona describes the tree of life's fruit as "sweeter than honey". Again, a rejection for ritual is suggested, as Christ is supposed to be signified as a plain piece of wafer bread. The taste of honey is described as being the best taste possible, reinforcing the idea that the poet is projecting her dislikening for man-made foods and rituals, such as wafer bread. Because honey is created by bees, the sweetness of it may imply the persona's adoration for creation, hinting that the bees represent God, who creates natural perfection. Describing honey as an idyllic taste, the persona applies this to nature being the best thing created by God. Through personas, Rossetti clearly portrays her lack of interest in religious rituals and amplifies her love for God through nature in each of her poems.

The persona in the poem "Shut Out" uses birds to suggest the poet's lack of freedom. In this poem, the persona enviously describes how the birds are able to easily fly in and out of what was once her garden. "Song birds crossed" depicts how easily the birds are able to enter and leave the garden, as pedestrians would cross a road, or how they can leave their homes whenever they please without fear of it being taken away. This may also suggest the poet's feelings surrounding her lack of freedom during the time the poem was written, when the Women's Suffrage movement became national due to the fact that men and women were not seen as equals in society, and social norms were often based on patriarchal views. Although Rossetti was not a part of the Women's Suffrage movement, she was heavily affected by the inequality between sexes in society. In the poem 'Song', the persona also uses a bird to project the poet's lack of freedom. In this poem, the persona states "I shall not hear the nightingale / sing on, as if in pain;". This implies that death frees the persona, and also perhaps the poet, from hearing anymore pain. It may also imply that the persona is free from the burden of inequality, a pain caused by the patriarchal society of the time. Relating to context, Rossetti helped women who wanted to come out of prostitution in the 1860s. This may link to these lines in the poem, because Rossetti, much like the persona of this poem, does not wish to hear of other people's pain.The word 'Nightingale" follows a different, spontaneous rhythm in comparison to the iambic trimeter used in the rest of the poem. The differentiated rhythm highlights the spontaneity of nature in comparison to the repetivity of man-made ritual mentioned in the stanza before. The break in the continous rhythm may also suggest the persona's break from man-made reality, and newly found freedom in death.