How Far Is It to Heaven?
poem 929
How Far Is It to Heaven? - meaning Summary
Proximity of Afterlife and Death
The poem questions how far Heaven and Hell are, answering that each lies as close as death. Dickinson collapses spatial distinctions—rivers, ridges, and maps cannot locate the afterlife. The sepulchre and the left hand suggest that burial and orientation do not determine spiritual geography. The short lyric treats the boundary between life and what follows as immediate and conceptually resistant to ordinary navigation or discovery.
Read Complete AnalysesHow far is it to Heaven? As far as Death this way Of River or of Ridge beyond Was no discovery. How far is it to Hell? As far as Death this way How far left hand the Sepulchre Defies Topography.
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