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'Tis not that Dying hurts us so —
'Tis Living — hurts us more —
But Dying — is a different way —
A Kind behind the Door —
The Southern Custom — of the Bird —
That ere the Frosts are due —
Accepts a better Latitude —
We — are the Birds — that stay.
The Shrivers round Farmers' doors —
For whose reluctant Crumb —
We stipulate — till pitying Snows
Persuade our Feathers Home.
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'a kind behind the door'... she means as being a coward...
though sometimes 'living' hurts than 'death'... there is the honour of being brave...
and as southerners... she is meant to be a survivor... -
Kyattaman mentioned something about how this poem is tightly constructed and each syllable has meaning. I think this is something that makes Emily Dickinson special. Its easy, especially when first reading her work, to completely lose where shes going. I think the first two lines are so strong because the idea of living being worse than death is shared by many of us, I tend to share it. The bird metaphor worked well - I had to read it twice through to really understand it, but sometimes thats neccessary.
A/E/S -
sweet
"'Tis not that Dying hurts us so—
'Tis Living—hurts us more—
But Dying—is a different way—
A Kind behind the Door—"
every time I read her poetry I feel as if she is giving words to my own thoughts.her way of expression is very simple N sweet.
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The first two lines are strongly effective. I clicked on this poem because Emily Dickenson was a favorite of my high school sweetheart who I met again after many years. And I can definitely see in her life that it is the living that is so difficult. "A kind behind the door" is an odd phrase, never had i heard of death referred to in such terms. It is such a tightly constructed poem one must regard each syllable closely, else the meaning is lost. I enjoy her use of the bird metaphor in the second and third stanzas. A fine effort, I may quote from this poem.
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This poem speaks to me in a way that little other have. I love the first two lines. I know that in death we are really giving birth to a new and kinder (i hope) life. But I can no longer use the option of murdering myself as an option. I must wait for the reaper.
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