Written by Pau Vizcarra

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 –

We always say or hear that we should live life to the fullest. “Live your life the way you want to.” “Live without regrets.” We have been weaned to accept whatever it is that is natural yet inevitably painful—loneliness, confusion, destruction, heartbreak. We anticipate and allow these things to happen simply because it is part of life. What is not part of life however, is death. Why do we not anticipate death? Why is death the intolerable and discouraged part of being human when it is exactly like life—natural and inevitably painful.

It has always been “life is too short.” It was never “death is too soon.”

The central theme of the poem, quite understandably, is death. Emily Dickinson, a woman of

sentiment and few words, speaks of death in a nonchalant and accepting manner, which offsets its usual mournful and miserable vibe.

The poem opens with “Because I could not stop for Death—He kindly stopped for me,” implying that the speaker was not expecting to die until Death, a personified being, came for her in a Carriage which was her mode of transportation to the afterlife. The speaker asserts her clement tone in the second stanza—“He knew no haste, and I had put away my labor and my leisure too, for His Civility.” In the third and fourth stanzas, it is alluded that they are passing by the places in her hometown—the school in which she spent her vigorous years, the fields that indicate a humble rural setting. The next line, “We passed the Setting Sun or rather – He passed us,” hands over a realization that the speaker is indeed foreshadowing death. In literature, a sunset signifies the completion of one’s journey and their time to take a break, particularly in the afterlife. This is supported when the speaker mentions her Gossamer, Gown, Tippet, and Tulle which are types of fabric and clothing worn only on special ceremonial occasions. In the fifth stanza, they reach “a House that seemed a Swelling of the Ground”—a metaphor for her grave. The “Roof” and “Cornice” would be the coffin and tombstone respectively; it is her final resting place. Finally, it is revealed in the sixth stanza that it has been centuries since that day when she “first surmised the Horses’ Heads were toward Eternity.” It can be inferred in this final sentence that the speaker has long been dead and is just looking back on that day.

While most people would look back on their lives as they grow old, Dickinson repositions death’s stigma as a harrowing experience by making it seem like someone’s delightful memory. It is also possible that the words capitalized and personified in the poem insinuate its importance in a person’s life. Dickinson is lauded for the good use of imagery to hint where the speaker lived and what kind of life she lead. The imagery is not literal as seen in the metaphors present. Euphemism is also present throughout the entire piece. As said, death is usually an uncomfortable subject but Dickinson was successful in portraying it as a mere peaceful memory of someone who once lived.

At 18 years old, a still slightly culture-shocked college fresh person experimenting and trying not to draw much attention, the exciting part of my youth has just begun. Though I am not big on adventures nor trying out new things mainly because I’m broke, living off my parents and scared, I’m okay and I’m happy. Our generation has glamorized “living life on the edge” with our culture of relentless meme sharing, following fads, and sometimes even tactless happy-making. These things, however petty they seem, remind us that we have the gift of human consciousness. It allows us to appreciate even the small insignificant things that make life more enjoyable. No, I would not be ready should I leave this place later or tomorrow. I would still have plenty of things left to do and I would be scared where in the afterlife I would be. However, I now understand that there is no separating life and death. Death is part of life. You will only have a peaceful death if you lead a satisfying life.

You will only have a satisfying life once you have come to accept that the tables could turn tomorrow, yet you would still be happy and have no regrets.