Rest at Night

Rest at Night - meaning Summary

Human Vs Natural Rhythms

Dickinson contrasts human schedules with the continuity of nature. The poem notes that some people rest at noon while the sun and the natural world continue their work, implying a disjunction between human habits and larger, impersonal rhythms. It suggests human withdrawal is conditional and local, whereas natural processes persist regardless of human pause, inviting readers to consider smallness of human routines against ongoing cosmic activity.