If I Should Die
poem 54
If I Should Die - meaning Summary
Mortality and Continuity
Dickinson meditates on personal death by imagining the ordinary world continuing without her. She pictures morning and noon, birds and bees, and even commerce persisting, and finds consolation in that continuity. The poem frames mortality not as catastrophe but as a calm, manageable absence, with public life and natural rhythms carrying on. The speaker’s reassurance makes parting feel tranquil and preserves a serene inner tone.
Read Complete AnalysesIf I should die, And you should live And time should gurgle on And morn should beam And noon should burn As it has usual done If Birds should build as early And Bees as bustling go One might depart at option From enterprise below! ‘Tis sweet to know that stocks will stand When we with Daisies lie That Commerce will continue And Trades as briskly fly It makes the parting tranquil And keeps the soul serene That gentlemen so sprightly Conduct the pleasing scene!
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