On Such a Night, or Such a Night
poem 146
On Such a Night, or Such a Night - meaning Summary
A Small Life Unnoticed
The poem imagines a tiny, domestic figure whose quiet slipping away—whether into sleep or death—goes largely unnoticed. Dickinson contrasts stillness and ordinary household sounds with the childlike pleasures and routines that once filled the life: playmates, school, sewing, and simple visions. The final lines register a gentle puzzlement that such treasured feet should arrive at so modest an end, underscoring fragility and the smallness of human aims.
Read Complete AnalysesOn such a night, or such a night, Would anybody care If such a little figure Slipped quiet from its chair So quiet Oh how quiet, That nobody might know But that the little figure Rocked softer to and fro On such a dawn, or such a dawn Would anybody sigh That such a little figure Too sound asleep did lie For Chanticleer to wake it Or stirring house below Or giddy bird in orchard Or early task to do? There was a little figure plump For every little knoll Busy needles, and spools of thread And trudging feet from school Playmates, and holidays, and nuts And visions vast and small Strange that the feet so precious charged Should reach so small a goal!
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