Product Description
Words by Emily Dickinson
Music by Richard deCosta
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
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In the reclusive chambers of Emily Dickinson's 19th-century Massachusetts home, the haunting poem, 'Because I Could Not Stop for Death,' was conceived. Living much of her life in isolation, Dickinson's thoughts often ventured into the shadowlands of existence. This poem, published posthumously in 1890, offers a chilling reflection of her contemplation. The Grim Reaper, a timeless symbol, is portrayed as a carriage driver, guiding the reader through a somber journey that mirrors the ephemeral nature of life. Passing scenes of childhood innocence, maturity's labor, and the twilight of existence, it culminates in the cold embrace of the grave. Her words, etched in a gothic darkness, resonate with the uncertainties and fears of her time, transcending to speak to the eternal human condition.
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