domenica, febbraio 20, 2005

A Different Perspective on 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 played

At wrestling in a ring;

We passed the fields of gazing grain,

We passed the setting sun.


We paused before a house that seemed

A swelling of the ground;

The roof was scarcely visible,

The cornice but a mound.


Since then ’t is centuries; but each

Feels shorter than the day

I first surmised the horses’ heads

Were toward eternity.

~Emily Dickinson (1830–86)

5 commenti:

Leah ha detto...

I got chills! :)
You are right, that is a really cool poem.

James ha detto...

I've always liked that poem. I've never read much poetry but a few months back I was on a minor Emily Dickinson kick.

Robin ha detto...
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Robin ha detto...

Leah and James,
I'm glad that you enjoyed the poem. I really didn't think anyone would like it, but I thought to myself "Oh well, I guess since this is my blog and it should portray my thoughts, not necessarily just what I think everyone else wants to hear." So, I took the plunge and posted it anyway, though a long phone conversation with Leah contributed greatly to that decision :)
I'm not quite sure why I like that poem, but it comes to mind any time I think of death. The thought that death comes like a gentleman is very different from the associations most people have with death (the ghost of Christmas yet to come is, against my will, what I usually think of).

Anyway, it was lovely to see everyone yesterday.

Saluti! (Speaking of Saluti, Leah, are you still interested in learning some Italian?)
~Robin
<><

Leah ha detto...

Hey, Robin. Yes, I am definitely still interested in learning some Italian. I haven't done much with it lately, because I mislaid my Berlitz book, but I found it again yesterday when I was organizing my bookshelves. Yay!