Does anyone know the meaning of this poem?

Question

Emily Dickinson
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 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—

Answer 1

She says "since I could not stop for Death, he kindly stopped for me." In other words, she was too busy with life to think about death and dying, so he kindly intervened and told her it was her time. He did so by picking her up in his "coach"...which is a metaphor for the hearse that took her to her grave. She states that the carriage held only her and Death...and immortality. Meaning that once dead you have joined the immortals...who are also dead, but whose souls live on. She says that she put away her labor and her leisure, meaning that when death comes there is no more work nor play, for his civility...meaning that death politely comes when it's time without malice or hate. She speaks of passing by a school, representing her youth, a field of grain, representing her adulthood, and the setting sun, which represented her old age...which she says passed them...as in passed them into darkness and the Dews (capitalized for personification) drew a quivering and chill (the cooling body after it dies...and her "gossamer gown" is her funeral shawl/cowl. The house that was a swelling of the ground was the graves, saying that the roof was scarcely visible, the cornice in the ground...it's the coffin next to the grave/in the grave. She then speaks of the centuries since her death and how it seems shorter than a day, meaning that time has no relevance to the dead, since she first surmised the horses' heads (the horses who pulled the hearse she was in) were headed towards "eternity"...forever...that death is for forever and that centuries will pass like days on forever and ever.

Answer 2

She's talking about Death as an old and good friend. The second stanza really brings that out - I had put away my labor and my leisure too, For His Civility. It's saying that Death was so polite, not rushing anything that she put aside her work and leisure to be with him. She's wanting to spend time with Death.
They passed all the things of life - school and children, fields of grain, the setting sun. A house that seemed a swelling of the ground is a grave. But again it's not something feared.

As I feel, the meaning of this poem is that Death is not something to be feared or avoided, but welcomed when he comes.

From this poem, wouldn't you want to hop in the carriage with Death? He kindly stops to pick her up, as she's too busy to stop to see him. He's not in a hurry to get to their destination; he's polite and civil, not some dark monster. And he pauses before the grave/house but the carriage continues towards eternity.

Answer 3

Civility Meaning

Answer 4

Emily was strange but I think she means death is always with you and that's why the pausing and successive scenes in the poem. She also talks about death not being in a hurry and in the last stanza her attitude towrds death shows that death has been with her a long time and was always with her . In the fourth stanza when she speaks of Tippet-stole, and Cornice-molding that tops a wall in the fifth stanza. Hope this helps. Death is Emily's friend!

Answer 5

it's not an easy task to get the kernel of this poem
for example, do the Horse's Heads refer to the Horsehead Nebula in Cancer (as I remember). what is the meaning of the house falling in--her body falling apart? obviously she wants to relish her dying., rather than see it as something we see as a horror, but there are parts in the poem that seem like arcane or private references. why gossamer as a gown?
why a tippet made of tulle? both of these are transparent but
what is their significance?
maybe she was dreaming this, and we know that dreams can seem to last for days, but actually take a very short time.

Answer 6

Surmised Meaning