The Poem BY EMILY DICKINSON


Because I could not stop for Death

BY EMILY DICKINSON

Because I could not stop for Death –

He kindly stopped for me –

The Carriage held but just Ourselves –

And Immortality.


We slowly drove – He knew no haste

And I had put away

My labor and my leisure too,

For His Civility –


We passed the School, where Children strove

At Recess – in the Ring –

We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –

We passed the Setting Sun –


Or rather – He passed Us –

The Dews drew quivering and Chill –

For only Gossamer, my Gown –

My Tippet – only Tulle –


We paused before a House that seemed

A Swelling of the Ground –

The Roof was scarcely visible –

The Cornice – in the Ground –


Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet

Feels shorter than the Day

I first surmised the Horses' Heads

Were toward Eternity –

Explanation of the poem

"Because I could not stop for Death" is a well-known poem by Emily Dickinson that personifies death as a kind and gentle suitor who takes the speaker on a carriage ride toward eternity. Here is a line-by-line analysis:

Stanza 1:

Because I could not stop for Death –

He kindly stopped for me –

The Carriage held but just Ourselves –

And Immortality.

  • The speaker begins by explaining that she was too busy to stop for death, so Death, personified as a courteous figure, stops for her. The carriage ride includes the speaker, Death, and Immortality, signifying the eternal journey she is about to undertake.

Stanza 2:

We slowly drove – He knew no haste

And I had put away

My labor and my leisure too,

For His Civility –

  • The journey is unhurried, emphasizing that Death is patient and respectful. The speaker has set aside her work and leisure, indicating she has accepted her fate and the civility of Death's approach.

Stanza 3:

We passed the School, where Children strove

At Recess – in the Ring –

We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –

We passed the Setting Sun –

  • As they drive, they pass various scenes that represent different stages of life: childhood (school and children playing), maturity (fields of grain), and the end of life (setting sun). These images symbolize the progression of life toward death.

Stanza 4:

Or rather – He passed Us –

The Dews drew quivering and Chill –

For only Gossamer, my Gown –

My Tippet – only Tulle –

  • The speaker corrects herself to indicate that we did not pass sun rather the sun passed them, suggesting the passage of time and the ending of life. The chilling dew signifies the coldness of death. The speaker's highlights the death clothes which is a gossamer gown, and a tippet made by tulle light. And describing that this is the only dress which is worn by the dead person he  also represents the ethereal and fragile nature of life and the transition to death.

Stanza 5:

We paused before a House that seemed

A Swelling of the Ground –

The Roof was scarcely visible –

The Cornice – in the Ground –

  • They stop before a house, which is actually a grave. The "swelling of the ground" suggests a burial mound, and the barely visible roof indicates it is a grave that is mostly underground.

Stanza 6:

Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet

Feels shorter than the Day

I first surmised the Horses' Heads

Were toward Eternity –

  • The speaker reflects that it has been centuries since her death, but it feels shorter than the day she realized she was heading toward eternity. This suggests the timeless nature of the afterlife.

Overall, the poem reflects on death as a natural part of life and portrays it in a calm, accepting manner. Dickinson's use of personification and imagery creates a serene and contemplative mood, emphasizing the inevitability and continuity of life and death.


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