I started early, took my dog,
And visited the sea;
The mermaids in the basement
Came out to look at me.
And frigates in the upper floor
Extended hempen hands,
Presuming me to be a mouse
Aground, upon the sands.
But no man moved me till the tide
Went past my simple shoe,
And past my apron and my belt,
And past my bodice too,
And made as he would eat me up
As wholly as a dew
Upon a dandelion's sleeve —
And then I started too.
And he — he followed close behind;
I felt his silver heel
Upon my ankle, — then my shoes
Would overflow with pearl.
Until we met the solid town,
No man he seemed to know;
And bowing with a mighty look
At me, the sea withdrew.
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Comments
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Apparently Emily Dickerson assumed that the old adage that "Tide and Time wait for no man" did not apply to women. It is fortunate that she realized her mistake in time to retreat to dry land.
Charley Noble -
Ah,this beautiful poem portrays the child within.All children love the sea - side. Emily portrays the sea's immense magnetism, her imagination runs wild,imaginary inhabitants are curious, the ships with their sails and ropes appear to offer her sanctuary on board.She is spell bound,but lo, the tide has come in, she has been lost in her thoughts, she is dashed into reality and comes out of her daydream when the great sea tries to take her,meanwhile her dog has already gone.Phew! she reaches dry land, the mighty sea is beaten.
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