No Rack Can Torture Me
poem 384
No Rack Can Torture Me - context Summary
Posthumous Publication 1891
Published posthumously in 1891, this brief Dickinson poem contrasts bodily constraint with an indomitable inner self. Using compact metaphors—the rack, saw, scimitar, and an eagle—it insists that physical pain cannot bind a bolder soul that “knits” behind mortal bone. The final lines link captivity and consciousness, arguing that true liberty depends on inner self-possession rather than external circumstance, a recurring theme in Dickinson’s work.
Read Complete AnalysesNo Rack can torture me My Soul at Liberty Behind this mortal Bone There knits a bolder One You cannot prick with saw Nor pierce with Scimitar Two Bodies therefore be Bind One The Other fly The Eagle of his Nest No easier divest And gain the Sky Than mayest Thou Except Thyself may be Thine Enemy Captivity is Consciousness So’s Liberty.
Feel free to be first to leave comment.