Dickinson and Death

Poem 712

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 most interesting thing I noticed in the poem, after looking back, is the relationship between Death and Children, and Death and Immortality, also, the personification of Death and Immortality, and the significance of riding with them to an unknown place.

Because I could not stop for Death –

What does she mean by stop for Death?

Why is Death capitalized ?

Eight Syllable line, Iambic Tetrameter

Because- question or statement?

Who is Death? Entity? Metaphor? Noun?

He kindly stopped for me--

Six syllable Iambic Trimeter

Is a Death a physical being capable of stopping?

Are they meeting somewhere?

Does she implying she will die?

The Carriage held but just Ourselves –

Eight Syllable line, Iambic Tetrameter

Why are Carriage and Ourselves capitalized?

Why the dashes at the end of all the lines?

Is she traveling in the Carriage as she meets Death?

Is Carriage a reference to something biblical?

Does Ourselves imply a relationship with audience?

And Immortality.

Six syllable Iambic Trimeter

Again why the capitalization (common in Dickinson poems, almost one in every line)

Is Immortality being personified?

Dual relationship with Death?

Does this have spiritual implications?

Why a period at the end?

Rhymes with me from previous line

We slowly drove -- He knew no haste

Who is we?

Why the dash separating the clauses?

Is He referring to Death?

Eight Syllable line, Iambic Tetrameter

Does haste imply they are going somewhere?

And I had put away

Is I Dickenson?

Six syllable Iambic Trimeter

My labor and my leisure too,

Eight Syllable line, Iambic Tetrameter

Dual relationship of labor and leisure

What does she mean that she put her labor and leisure away?

For His Civility –

Six syllable Iambic Trimeter

Is His referring to Death?

Is Death Civil?

Why the capitalizations?

Could His refer to Christ/God?

We passed the School, where Children strove

Eight Syllable line, Iambic Tetrameter

Why the Capitals, are School/Children significant in their relation to Death?

Why is Death near a school and children?

Is Death riding with them?

First of three repetitions of “We passed the”

At Recess -- in the Ring –

Six syllable Iambic Trimeter

Imagery of children playing/childhood

Odd comparison with Death? Why contrast the two?

Why the dashes in the middle?

We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –

Eight Syllable line, Iambic Tetrameter

Second repetition of “We passed the”

Again why capitalize?

Can Grain Gaze?

Could this refer to something biblical? A Hymn?

We passed the Setting Sun –

Six syllable Iambic Trimeter

Third repetition of “We passed the”

Setting Sun creates vivid imagery paired with the image of fields of gazing grain

Where are they going?

Or rather -- He passed Us –

Six syllable Iambic Trimeter

Who passed Us?  The setting sun or death?

Is passing a metaphor for Immortality?

Why end with another six syllable line? Throws of the meter