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‘Because I could not stop for Death’ by Emily Dickinson (Bio | Poems) depicts a speaker’s perception of death, the afterlife, and the journey it takes to get there. In the first lines of the poem, the speaker uses the famous line “Because I could not stop for Death,/ He kindly stopped for me”.
Emily Dickinson. 1830 –. 1886. 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 —
Although not published until 1890, Emily Dickinson likely wrote “Because I could not stop for Death” in 1863, in the middle of her most generative period. The poem, which is one of Dickinson’s most famous, centers on a female speaker who recounts her metaphysical journey from life to death .
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.
“Because I could not stop for Death” is a poem by the American poet Emily Dickinson. Although not published until the 1890s, Dickinson likely wrote this poem in 1863, in the middle of her most generative period. Like many of the poems written during this period, this one showcases a preoccupation with death.
In “Because I could not stop for Death,” Dickinson explores this paradox in two distinct ways. First, she depicts death as an inverted version of life. Whereas life is time-bound, death is timeless.
Emily Dickinson. 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—
