Oh let me immediately “fade”!
If this is “dying”
Bury – me, in such a shroud of red!
If this is “sleep,”
On such a night
How proud to shut the eye!
Good evening, gentle Fellow men!
Peacock presumes to die!
- F119 (1859) J120
- F119 (1859) J120
Dickinson is playing on common terms for the end of day. We speak of daylight fading, of the dying of the day. Night and sleep are both used figuratively for death. Dickinson would have taken all this from Shakespeare if from nowhere else.
It’s a lovely poem. The “Oh let me” of the second line injects just the right note of longing. The three repetitions of “If this is” give a pleasing parallel structure. The feminine endings of “fading” and “dying” with their tapering emphasis do indeed sound faded. These are contrasted with the strength of “fade!” and “red!” At the end, Dickinson does a neat trick with “gentle Fellow men”: it wouldn’t work for her as a female to say “fellow gentlemen” but it is fine in her day to use the universal “men” in referring to herself.
Thank you for your lovely comments 🤗
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