Emily Dickinson

Like Her the Saints Retire

poem 60

Like Her the Saints Retire - meaning Summary

Transcendence Via Quiet Departure

The poem observes a woman’s dignified withdrawal, likening her to saints in fiery hats and to evenings that take on purple and cochineal after day. Although others declare her "departed," the speaker finds counterevidence in nature: the aster and daffodil insist on her continued presence or lasting significance. The brief stanzas balance public announcement of absence with quiet, floral testimony that the person remains profoundly felt.

Read Complete Analyses

Like her the Saints retire, In their Chapeaux of fire, Martial as she! Like her the Evenings steal Purple and Cochineal After the Day! Departed both they say! i.e. gathered away, Not found, Argues the Aster still Reasons the Daffodil Profound!

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