Hey! Guess What?
Emily’s talking about death again!
It was not Death, for I stood up
12th February 2014
It was not Death, for I stood up,
And all the Dead, lie down—
It was not Night, for all the Bells
Put out their Tongues, for Noon.
When everything that ticked—has stopped—
And Space stares all around—
Or Grisly frosts—first Autumn morns,
Repeal the Beating Ground—
It was not Frost, for on my Flesh
I felt Sirocos—crawl—
Nor Fire—for just my Marble feet
Could keep a Chancel, cool—
But, most, like Chaos—Stopless—cool—
Without a Chance, or Spar—
Or even a Report of Land—
To justify—Despair.
And yet, it tasted, like them all,
The Figures I have seen
Set orderly, for Burial,
Reminded me, of mine—
As if my life were shaven,
And fitted to a frame,
And could not breathe without a key,
And 'twas like Midnight, some—
What is ‘It’? Dickinson
is unclear at this stage.
Instead she tells us
what it isn’t.
She uses
repetition to
help clarify
her ideas.
She then clarifies WHY
it isn’t death –
because she can stand
whereas dead people
lie.
It was not Death, for I stood up,
And all the Dead, lie down—
It was not Night, for all the Bells
Put out their Tongues, for Noon.
She personifies the
bells – their tongues
are both their
‘clappers’ and their
sound.
The repetition continues…
but we are no nearer
understanding what ‘It’ is.
The Sirocco is a hot dry wind
so she cannot feel either
cold or heat, suggesting that
she still lives.
It was not Frost, for on my Flesh
I felt Sirocos—crawl—
Nor Fire—for just my Marble feet
Could keep a Chancel, cool—
A chancel is part of a
church – often cold and
unwelcoming so her cold
feet obviously were
exceptionally cold.
Marble is often seen as a
cold stone. This contrasts
with the warmth of her flesh
in the previous two verses.
A return to the
synaesthesia we saw in
‘I felt a funeral…’?
So, whatever it is, it is a
combination of all the things
she has looked at so far death, night, hot or cold.
And yet, it tasted, like them all,
The Figures I have seen
Set orderly, for Burial,
Reminded me, of mine—
Are we getting to grips with what the
original ‘it’ might be? Her body is as
cold and dead as the dead ones she
sees. Therefore, whatever ‘it’ is has
taken any life from her.
This is a very bleak
image – she is
considering bodies set
out for funerals.
The suggestion of life being
‘shaven’ gives the idea that much
of life that is positive has been
removed.
Everything is exposed –
she has no method of
concealment. In other
words, her emotions
are laid bare.
As if my life were shaven,
And fitted to a frame,
And could not breathe without a key,
And 'twas like Midnight, some—
Darkness seems to be
enveloping her. This is a
common representation of
despair or depression. (cf
Churchill’s ‘black dog’)
Ah, we seem to be on to
something! She is searching for a
key that will allow her to
understand her feelings and be
human, it will restore her
emotions so we are clearly looking
at some emotional turmoil.
A great image! This ties into the
midnight idea in the previous
stanza, suggesting it as a
moment when time stands still.
The dashes help emphasise
the pause here.
When everything that ticked—has stopped—
And Space stares all around—
There is the
Or Grisly frosts—first Autumn morns, emptiness/
loneliness of
Repeal the Beating Ground—
despair suggested
by this empty
space.
Why are frosts ‘grisly’? Think
about the time she suggests.
Throughout this verse there is the
sense that she can see no end to her
feelings. Everything is frozen – there is
no heartbeat or life left.
Throughout this verse there is
an overwhelming sense of
emptiness (chaos) which
inhabits her life. She can see no
way out.
An interesting way to
suggest there is no end to
her emotional turmoil.
But, most, like Chaos—Stopless—cool—
Without a Chance, or Spar—
A spar is like a
mast or pole
Or even a Report of Land—
used to help
To justify—Despair.
control a ship
and keep it on
an even course.
This develops the sailing
imagery – there is no sign of
land, nowhere where she might
find salvation/rescue from her
emotions.
Finally, we get a name for the ‘It’ from
verse one – despair. This is all she
feels. However, her feelings are
paradoxical – she cannot justify
feeling despair as she sees no hope of
rescue or alternative so therefore
despair is just the way she is.
Summary
• Is this the most depressed we have found
Dickinson so far? She sees no end to her despair.
In fact, she cannot even justify giving it that name
as that would imply there was some rescue – she
sees no way out.
• The states she considers in the first two verses all
have some ‘escape’ but she sees none for herself.
• It is worth considering how she sums up the
whole sense of depression and despair in so few
words.
THEME
How can you link this poem to others?
Things to consider:
• Obviously, the sense of despair ties in well to poems such as
“After great pain…”. However, that may have suggested
physical pain, this suggests psychological torment.
• “I felt a funeral…” also links well – that sense of personal
emptiness and loss seem to be clarified here.
• Despair is also a key element in “There’s a sudden slant…” so
we need to look at how she represents it there compared to
this poem.