What is the central theme of the poem Echo The central theme of the poem Echo by Christina Rossetti is love after loss The speaker has lost someone she deeply loves She cannot see this person in real life She cannot hear their voice She cannot touch them So she turns to dreams Dreams become the only place where love can live again This shows how strong love is even after separation Another part of the theme is longing The speaker wants the lost one to come back She asks again and again She wants soft cheeks bright eyes and gentle words She wants the past to return She wants the old love to live again But she knows it cannot happen in the real world So her longing becomes both sweet and painful The poem also shows the theme of memory The speaker s memories are soft but heavy