As Watchers Hang Upon the East
poem 121
As Watchers Hang Upon the East - meaning Summary
Expectation Transforms Into Reward
The poem contrasts eager expectation with fulfilled blessing. Dickinson likens human longing to watchers watching the eastern sky and beggars rejoicing at an imagined feast; these anticipatory states are sweet but distant. In the second stanza the anticipated gift arrives: morning opens like a jewel and the guest brings honor and refreshment. The speaker suggests that heaven works the same way for the soul—first tempting with pleasant imagination, then, if faithfulness holds, granting a real, sustaining revelation. The tone is quietly hopeful, emphasizing transition from longing to tangible consolation.
Read Complete AnalysesAs Watchers hang upon the East, As Beggars revel at a feast By savory Fancy spread As brooks in deserts babble sweet On ear too far for the delight, Heaven beguiles the tired. As that same watcher, when the East Opens the lid of Amethyst And lets the morning go That Beggar, when an honored Guest, Those thirsty lips to flagons pressed, Heaven to us, if true.
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