After great pain, a formal feeling comes --
The Nerves sit ceremonious, like Tombs --
The stiff Heart questions was it He, that bore,
And Yesterday, or Centuries before?
The Feet, mechanical, go round --
Of Ground, or Air, or Ought --
A Wooden way
Regardless grown,
A Quartz contentment, like a stone --
This is the Hour of Lead --
Remembered, if outlived,
As Freezing persons, recollect the Snow --
First -- Chill -- then Stupor -- then the letting go --
The Nerves sit ceremonious, like Tombs --
The stiff Heart questions was it He, that bore,
And Yesterday, or Centuries before?
The Feet, mechanical, go round --
Of Ground, or Air, or Ought --
A Wooden way
Regardless grown,
A Quartz contentment, like a stone --
This is the Hour of Lead --
Remembered, if outlived,
As Freezing persons, recollect the Snow --
First -- Chill -- then Stupor -- then the letting go --
After great pain, a formal feeling comes
Dickinson is describing the otherworldly feeling of great pain. Maybe she last lost a loved one? This is an example of funeral imagery. "Formal" give the impression of a funeral.
The Nerves sit ceremonious, like Tombs
The Nerves sit ceremonious, like Tombs
"ceremonious" is an example of the funeral imagery. Also she starts to fragment the body in this line beginning with "nerves". This alludes to her suffering and that she cannot get it together. The first fragment is "nerves". The second and third being "heart" and "feet".
The stiff Heart questions was it He, that bore,
The stiff Heart questions was it He, that bore,
The second fragment of the body is the heart. It's as if he or she is disjointed and has to remind the heart to beat. A normal body functions automatically, but in this situation she must go step by step and think about how to live on. And Yesterday, or Centuries before? She never used to pay any attention to how her body worked before. But with today's pain and suffering, it is hard to simply breathe and relax her beating heart. Or put one foot in front of the other. Everything is slower.
The Feet, mechanical, go round -- All of the body parts are personified. Even with her suffering, she manages to walk automatically and is puzzled by how she can manage to walk through the pain.
Of Ground, or Air, or Ought -- Ought refers to anything or nothing. It could refer to how her nerves should be calm and how her heart should just beat in a steady rhythm. Everything is jumbled and affected by emotional pain. This could also refer to the way her feet ought to go. She should be able to breathe the air calmly.
A Wooden way Caskets are made of wood. This represents death and loss. Wood is also a heavy, dead image that relates to the speaker's demeanor.
Regardless grown, People continue to live and move on from the hurt after people die. The wood and stones of a tomb survive while the body does not.
A Quartz contentment, like a stone -- Contentment is a strange image and a new twist to the poem. Why would she feel contentment when she is hurting? She could be describing two kinds of pain people go through- initial shock and the greater, more powerful sense of loss.
This is the Hour of Lead -- Lead is also an image of the speaker's stony demeanor. She is trying to not feel or let go. Her body betrays her emotional agony by her feet continuing to walk, her heart continuing to beat, and her nerves shaking.
Remembered, if outlived, The pain she is experiencing is so bad, it could easily kill her.
As Freezing persons, recollect the Snow -- She could believe freezing is a hard, painful way to die. Freezing through stages can mean more pain and suffering.
First -- Chill -- then Stupor -- then the letting go --
Freezing could actually be a pleasant way to go once the body gets used to or accepts the initial shock. Eventually it is just falling asleep.
The Feet, mechanical, go round -- All of the body parts are personified. Even with her suffering, she manages to walk automatically and is puzzled by how she can manage to walk through the pain.
Of Ground, or Air, or Ought -- Ought refers to anything or nothing. It could refer to how her nerves should be calm and how her heart should just beat in a steady rhythm. Everything is jumbled and affected by emotional pain. This could also refer to the way her feet ought to go. She should be able to breathe the air calmly.
A Wooden way Caskets are made of wood. This represents death and loss. Wood is also a heavy, dead image that relates to the speaker's demeanor.
Regardless grown, People continue to live and move on from the hurt after people die. The wood and stones of a tomb survive while the body does not.
A Quartz contentment, like a stone -- Contentment is a strange image and a new twist to the poem. Why would she feel contentment when she is hurting? She could be describing two kinds of pain people go through- initial shock and the greater, more powerful sense of loss.
This is the Hour of Lead -- Lead is also an image of the speaker's stony demeanor. She is trying to not feel or let go. Her body betrays her emotional agony by her feet continuing to walk, her heart continuing to beat, and her nerves shaking.
Remembered, if outlived, The pain she is experiencing is so bad, it could easily kill her.
As Freezing persons, recollect the Snow -- She could believe freezing is a hard, painful way to die. Freezing through stages can mean more pain and suffering.
First -- Chill -- then Stupor -- then the letting go --
Freezing could actually be a pleasant way to go once the body gets used to or accepts the initial shock. Eventually it is just falling asleep.
Wow! You really make the poem rich . . .
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