Famous Death Poem

A poem about death. Dickinson portrays death as her companion in the carriage. She passes her childhood - the school, to her grave. The poem makes heavy use of the literary device of personification, giving death human characteristics.

Featured Shared Story

Yeah, I agree we don't stop to think that death will come and take us away even when the ones he has taken are staring right at us. My grandma passed away when I was little. I sobbed for hours.

Share your story! (5)

Famous Poem

Because I Could Not Stop For Death

Emily Dickinson By more 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,
We passed the setting sun.

Or rather, he passed us;
The dews grew 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 but a mound.

Since then 'tis centuries, and yet each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses' heads
Were toward eternity.

Advertisement

more Emily Dickinson

  • Stories 5
  • Shares 2108
  • Favorited 38
  • Votes 868
  • Rating 4.17
Read More Famous Death Poems
Has this poem touched you? Share your story!
  • Jayna Dinnyes by Jayna Dinnyes
  • 5 years ago

With every loved one's death, the first two lines of this famous poem always seem to come to my mind. Really, we don't stop to think about death coming to us even when THAT FACT is staring us right in the face. Instead, we choose to ignore its increasing presence.

"Because I could not stop for Death; He kindly stopped for me." SO EFFECTIVE!

Reply
  • Vilte Pateraityte by Vilte Pateraityte
  • 5 years ago

Yeah, I agree we don't stop to think that death will come and take us away even when the ones he has taken are staring right at us. My grandma passed away when I was little. I sobbed for hours.

  • Chandrika Das by Chandrika Das
  • 6 years ago

I have loved this poem since the time I first read it. I love the concept of eternity, death, and life woven into a voyage of three wanderers.

Reply
  • Ananya Madhusoodanan by Ananya Madhusoodanan
  • 6 years ago

I have no fear of death. I am rather fascinated by it. I found this poem soulful and perfect.

Reply
  • Sanskruti R. Jadhav by Sanskruti R. Jadhav
  • 6 years ago

I love all these death poems. The reason is that I believe that our life is just like an egg. It will fall down and break and will get completely destroyed. All these poems directly or indirectly clarify the same.

Reply
Related Categories

Back to Top