The Inundation of the Spring

The Inundation of the Spring - meaning Summary

Spring Reshapes the Soul

Dickinson presents Spring as a transformative flood that expands and remakes the self. The image of an inundation that "enlarges every soul" suggests an influx that removes old confines (the tenement) while preserving an underlying continuity (the Water). At first the self feels estranged and seeks a familiar shore, but gradually adapts to the new condition and ceases to long for its former promontory. The poem sketches personal renewal: disruption leads to assimilation, and loss of old anchors becomes part of a broader enlargement of identity.