Emily Dickinson

Witchcraft Was Hung, in History

Witchcraft Was Hung, in History - meaning Summary

Fragile Vessel, Indifferent Sea

The poem sketches a brief scene in which a tiny boat ventures from shore into an alluring sea and is suddenly swallowed by a greedy wave. Simple, childlike diction creates a contrast between the boat’s innocence and the ocean’s indifferent violence. The speaker registers loss without melodrama, highlighting how smallness and vulnerability meet overwhelming, impersonal forces beyond human control.

Read Complete Analyses

‘Twas such a little – little boat That toddled down the bay! ‘Twas such a gallant – gallant sea That beckoned it away! ‘Twas such a greedy, greedy wave That licked it from the Coast – Nor ever guessed the stately sails My little craft was lost!

default user
PoetryVerse just now

Feel free to be first to leave comment.

8/2200 - 0