Delayed Till She Had Ceased to Know
poem 58
Delayed Till She Had Ceased to Know - meaning Summary
Late Grief and Missed Triumph
The poem reflects on timing, missed recognition, and ambiguous triumph at death. Dickinson imagines a woman who is delayed in knowing or receiving something—comfort, announcement, or victory—until after she has ceased awareness. The speaker wonders whether the slow arrival of bliss or a herald changed the outcome: did delay rob her of victory, or preserve her from a contested fate? The closing stanza questions whether modest death can be counted among victories, presenting a subdued, uncertain coronation rather than a clear conquest. The tone is elegiac and questioning rather than consoling.
Read Complete AnalysesDelayed till she had ceased to know Delayed till in its vest of snow Her loving bosom lay An hour behind the fleeting breath Later by just an hour than Death Oh lagging Yesterday! Could she have guessed that it would be Could but a crier of the joy Have climbed the distant hill Had not the bliss so slow a pace Who knows but this surrendered face Were undefeated still? Oh if there may departing be Any forgot by Victory In her imperial round Show them this meek appareled thing That could not stop to be a king Doubtful if it be crowned!
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