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    Analysis: "Before The Ice Is in The Pools" by Emily Dickinson

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    naphelge
    Emily Dickinson's poem describes the wonders that will arrive before winter sets in, referring to the absence of her friend Sue who lives nearby. The poem suggests Emily wept in Sue's absence and wonders if the "frock" or dress she cried in will suffice when Sue returns, as the two friends touched "the hems" of mystery, like the woman who touched Jesus' garment in the Bible. The analysis further explains that the "wonder" that will come to Emily is Sue, who lives "just a bridge away."

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    Analysis: "Before The Ice Is in The Pools" by Emily Dickinson

    Uploaded by

    naphelge
    52 views1 page
    Emily Dickinson's poem describes the wonders that will arrive before winter sets in, referring to the absence of her friend Sue who lives nearby. The poem suggests Emily wept in Sue's absence and wonders if the "frock" or dress she cried in will suffice when Sue returns, as the two friends touched "the hems" of mystery, like the woman who touched Jesus' garment in the Bible. The analysis further explains that the "wonder" that will come to Emily is Sue, who lives "just a bridge away."

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    37_BeforeTheIceIsInThePools

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    Emily Dickinson's poem describes the wonders that will arrive before winter sets in, referring to the absence of her friend Sue who lives nearby. The poem suggests Emily wept in Sue's absence and wonders if the "frock" or dress she cried in will suffice when Sue returns, as the two friends touched "the hems" of mystery, like the woman who touched Jesus' garment in the Bible. The analysis further explains that the "wonder" that will come to Emily is Sue, who lives "just a bridge away."

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    52 views1 page

    Analysis: "Before The Ice Is in The Pools" by Emily Dickinson

    Uploaded by

    naphelge
    Emily Dickinson's poem describes the wonders that will arrive before winter sets in, referring to the absence of her friend Sue who lives nearby. The poem suggests Emily wept in Sue's absence and wonders if the "frock" or dress she cried in will suffice when Sue returns, as the two friends touched "the hems" of mystery, like the woman who touched Jesus' garment in the Bible. The analysis further explains that the "wonder" that will come to Emily is Sue, who lives "just a bridge away."

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    "Before the ice is in the pools" By Emily Dickinson [Analysis]

    Before the ice is in the pools --[1] Before the skaters go,[2] Or any check at nightfall[3] Is tarnished by the snow --[4] Before the fields have finished,[5] Before the Christmas tree,[6] Wonder upon wonder[7] Will arrive to me![8] What we touch the hems of[9] On a summer's day --[10] What is only walking[11] Just a bridge away --[12] That which sings so -- speaks so --[13] When there's no one here --[14] Will the frock I wept in[15] Answer me to wear?[16]
    Poem 37 [F46] "Before the ice is in the pools" Analysis by David Preest [Poem]

    Emily does not name the 'wonder' which will arrive in Amherst before winter and Christmas. As she 'wept' (line 15) in its absence, and it lives 'just a bridge away,' the wonder is almost certainly Sue. 'What we touch the hems of' reminds us of the woman in Matthew's gospel who touched the hem of Jesus' garment, saying, 'If I do but touch his garment, I shall be made whole.' (Matthew 9:21) Emily, it seems, was enough of an ordinary woman to wonder what frock to wear when Sue returns.
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