Because I could not stop for Death

Because I could not stop for Death

-          -Emily Dickenson

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 uet

Feels shorter than the Day

I first surmised the Horses’ Heads

Were toward Eternity-

Vocabulary

Dews: 이슬

Tippet: 모피 어깨걸이

Tulle: 실크, 나일론 등으로 망사처럼 짠 천

Gossamer: 아주 가는 거미줄

Cornice: 처마 돌림띠

‘tis: it is

Analysis Paper

‘Because I could not stop for Death’ by Emily Dickenson reflects Emily’s perspective toward the issue of life and death. In the poem, strangely, she does not refuse to go with death nor try to negate the reality that approached her. She seems to be always ready to travel with death, which common people would be terrified of. She even describes Death as ‘kind’ on the second line of first stanza, and thanks Death for putting away ‘my labor and my leisure too, for his civility’ on the second stanza.

This is because of her very special perspective towards death. She had erected her own belief system, just like in a religion. Most religions have their own life and death formulas, such as in Christianity, a heaven and a hell exists, and in Buddhism or Hinduism, people get eternal chances of reborn after death. According to her, death is not the end, but an eternity, which is implied on the last line of the first stanza, ‘And Immortality.’ The carriage here represents her belief system, indicating that when she is with Death, Immortality is always in it.

Along the journey, the carriage passes by three places representing human life, ‘School’, ‘Fields of Gazing Grain’, and the ‘Setting Sun’. These three places symbolize the limitations of human life, as opposed to eternal death. The ‘Recess – in the Ring’ indicates that the recess has ended, the ‘Gazing Grain’ is the ripened grain that will be harvested soon, and the ‘Setting Sun’ will soon disappear from the sky. Emily, Death and Immortality pass by these human life and head for endless journey.

On the fifth stanza, they stop before ‘a House that seemed A Swelling of the Ground’, which we can easily picture as a grave, where dead people’s bodies are laid. However, only her body stays behind, her soul keeps on traveling.

After Centuries later, on the carriage she thinks, that ‘the Horses’ Heads Were toward Eternity.’ Here, the Horses’ Heads indicates her direction, which is the eternity.

Connecting this poem with her biography, Emily Dickenson’s unusual point of view on life and death may have contributed to the way she lived her life, avoiding to meet people, or even going outside. She may have thought her present life as a human was useless and where she really wanted to go may actually be the eternity, along with the Death and the Immortality, like in the poem.