Welcome, dear readers, to an exciting journey into the world of poetry! Today, we embark on an adventure with one of Emily Dickinson’s most captivating poems. Prepare to be enchanted by the sea, mysterious creatures, and a profound exploration of human experience. Let us begin by immersing ourselves in the poem itself.
I started Early — Took my Dog —
By Emily Dickinson
I started Early — Took my Dog —
And visited the Sea —
The Mermaids in the Basement
Came out to look at me —And Frigates — in the Upper Floor
Extended Hempen Hands —
Presuming Me to be a Mouse —
Aground — upon the Sands —But no Man moved Me — till the Tide
Went past my simple Shoe —
And past my Apron — and my Belt
And past my Bodice — too —And made as if to eat me up —
As wholly as a Dew
Upon a Dandelion’s Sleeve —
And then — I started too —And He followed close behind —
I felt His Silver Heel
Upon my Ankle — Then my Shoes
Would overflow with Pearl —Until We met the Solid Town —
No One he seemed to know —
And bowing — with a mighty look —
At Me — The Sea withdrew —
Unpacking the Meaning of ‘I started Early — Took my Dog —’
Emily Dickinson’s “I started Early — Took my Dog —” is far more than a simple account of a walk by the ocean. It is a vivid, dreamlike exploration of a young speaker’s encounter with the vast, powerful, and alluring force of the sea. This poem invites readers into a world where reality and imagination intertwine, creating a truly unforgettable experience.
- An Enchanting and Mysterious Journey: The poem opens with a seemingly ordinary event, a walk to the sea with a dog. However, it quickly transforms into a fantastical narrative. The speaker encounters “Mermaids in the Basement” and “Frigates — in the Upper Floor,” blurring the lines between the mundane and the magical. This creates a dreamlike atmosphere, suggesting that the journey is as much internal as it is external.
- Central Idea: The Overwhelming Power and Allure of Nature and Desire: At its core, the poem explores the captivating and sometimes frightening power of nature, particularly the sea. This encounter can be interpreted as a metaphor for the awakening of desire, the confrontation with the unknown, or the overwhelming force of life itself. The sea is presented as a powerful, almost sentient entity that both tempts and threatens the speaker.
- A Poem of Transformation: The speaker undergoes a significant transformation during her encounter with the sea. She begins as an observer, then becomes the object of the sea’s attention and pursuit, and finally returns to the “Solid Town” changed by the profound experience. The journey is a rite of passage, leaving her with a new understanding or awareness.
- Noteworthy Knowledge: Dickinson’s Unique Voice: This poem showcases many hallmarks of Emily Dickinson’s distinctive poetic style. Her unconventional capitalization, use of dashes, and exploration of profound themes through vivid, often enigmatic, imagery are all present. The poem’s enduring appeal lies in its ability to evoke deep emotions and invite multiple interpretations, a testament to Dickinson’s genius.
Exploring Literary Devices in ‘I started Early — Took my Dog —’
Emily Dickinson masterfully employs a rich array of literary devices to craft this evocative poem. Understanding these techniques deepens appreciation for the poem’s artistry and its layered meanings.
Imagery and Sensory Detail
The poem is rich with vivid imagery that appeals to multiple senses, painting a clear picture in the reader’s mind and evoking a strong emotional response. Notice how Dickinson describes the fantastical elements of the sea:
The Mermaids in the Basement
Came out to look at me —
This image is not just visual; it conjures a sense of wonder and mystery, suggesting hidden depths. Similarly, the “Frigates — in the Upper Floor / Extended Hempen Hands —” creates a tactile and slightly menacing image, giving the ships a human-like quality. The description of the tide’s advance is also highly sensory:
Went past my simple Shoe —
And past my Apron — and my Belt
And past my Bodice — too —
This progression creates a palpable sense of the water rising, making the reader feel the encroaching tide. Later, the “Silver Heel” of the sea and the “Shoes / Would overflow with Pearl —” offer striking visual and tactile sensations, suggesting both beauty and a precious, perhaps overwhelming, consequence.
Personification
Dickinson breathes life into the natural world, particularly the sea and its elements, by attributing human qualities or actions to them. This personification intensifies the sense of the sea as an active, conscious, and powerful force.
- The “Mermaids” and “Frigates” are given agency, “Came out to look at me —” and “Extended Hempen Hands — / Presuming Me to be a Mouse —”. This makes the sea’s inhabitants seem watchful and judgmental.
- The tide itself is personified as a male figure with intentions: “But no Man moved Me — till the Tide / Went past my simple Shoe — / And made as if to eat me up —”. The use of “Man” here is particularly significant, suggesting a masculine, perhaps predatory, force.
- The sea continues its pursuit: “And He followed close behind — / I felt His Silver Heel / Upon my Ankle —”. This portrays the sea as a persistent suitor or pursuer.
- Finally, the sea performs a human gesture: “And bowing — with a mighty look — / At Me — The Sea withdrew —”. This act of bowing suggests respect, acknowledgment, or perhaps a final, dramatic farewell.
Metaphor and Symbolism
The entire poem can be interpreted as an extended metaphor, where the literal journey to the sea symbolizes a deeper, more abstract experience. The poem is rich with symbols that invite multiple interpretations.
- The Sea: The most prominent symbol, the sea represents the vastness and power of nature, the unknown, the unconscious mind, and often, overwhelming desire or temptation. Its depth, mystery, and ability to consume make it a potent symbol of forces beyond human control.
- The Dog: The speaker’s companion, the dog, could symbolize loyalty, companionship, instinct, or perhaps a grounding connection to reality that the speaker brings into her fantastical encounter. It is present at the beginning but seems to fade into the background as the sea’s power takes over.
- Mermaids and Frigates: These fantastical figures symbolize different aspects of the sea’s allure and potential danger. Mermaids often represent temptation and beauty, while frigates, with their “hempen hands,” suggest entrapment or a more formidable, perhaps masculine, threat. The “Basement” and “Upper Floor” could symbolize different levels of consciousness or the sea’s hidden and visible dangers.
- The Rising Tide: The tide’s gradual engulfment of the speaker’s clothing (“Shoe,” “Apron,” “Belt,” “Bodice”) symbolizes a loss of innocence, a surrender to desire, or an overwhelming immersion into a new experience. The “Bodice” in particular suggests a deeper, more intimate level of vulnerability.
- Pearls: The image of “Shoes / Would overflow with Pearl —” is highly symbolic. Pearls are precious, formed from irritation within an oyster. They can symbolize beauty, value, wisdom gained from experience, or perhaps the lasting, precious, yet potentially burdensome, consequences of the encounter.
- The “Solid Town”: This represents a return to civilization, reality, or perhaps a more conventional, safe existence after the transformative experience with the wild, untamed sea.
Enjambment
Dickinson frequently uses enjambment, the continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line to the next without a pause, to create a sense of fluidity, momentum, and sometimes, suspense. This technique mirrors the continuous flow of the sea and the speaker’s unfolding experience.
- Consider the opening stanza: “The Mermaids in the Basement
Came out to look at me —” The thought flows seamlessly, drawing the reader forward. - The description of the tide’s advance also uses enjambment effectively: “But no Man moved Me — till the Tide
Went past my simple Shoe —” This creates a sense of the unstoppable, continuous rise of the water. - Another example is the sea’s predatory action: “And made as if to eat me up —
As wholly as a Dew / Upon a Dandelion’s Sleeve —” The enjambment here emphasizes the completeness of the imagined consumption.
Consonance and Assonance
Dickinson employs the repetition of consonant and vowel sounds to add musicality, rhythm, and emphasis to her lines, enhancing the poem’s sonic texture.
- Consonance: The repetition of consonant sounds, especially “s” and “m,” creates a soft, flowing, or sometimes hissing effect. For example, the “s” sound in “started,” “Sea,” “Mermaids,” “Basement,” “sands,” “shoes,” “silver,” “shoes,” “solid,” “seemed” creates a wave-like, whispering quality. The “m” sound in “Mermaids,” “Came,” “me,” “moved,” “Man,” “made,” “me,” “mighty” adds a gentle, humming resonance.
- Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds contributes to the poem’s ethereal beauty and mood. The long “e” sound in “Early,” “Sea,” “me,” “hempen,” “presuming,” “heel” creates a sense of openness and expanse. The “o” sound in “overflow,” “know,” “bowing” adds a round, resonant quality.
Poetic Craft and Structure in ‘I started Early — Took my Dog —’
Beyond specific literary devices, Dickinson’s choices in poetic structure and form significantly contribute to the poem’s unique voice and lasting impact.
Diction and Word Choice
Dickinson’s precise and often unconventional word choices are striking and contribute significantly to the poem’s unique atmosphere and meaning. Words like “hempen” for the frigates’ hands evoke a specific, slightly archaic, and tactile image. “Aground” for the speaker’s position on the sand emphasizes her vulnerability. The use of “Bodice” instead of a more generic term for clothing highlights a deeper, more personal level of exposure. The “Silver Heel” of the sea and the “overflow with Pearl” are evocative and rich with symbolic resonance, transforming ordinary elements into something magical and significant.
Structure and Form
The poem is composed of six quatrains, or four-line stanzas, which provide a sense of order and balance to the narrative. This regular structure creates a steady, almost ballad-like rhythm, which can be both comforting and slightly unsettling given the poem’s fantastical content. Dickinson often employs a variation of common meter, reminiscent of hymns or folk ballads, which gives her poems a familiar yet profound quality.
While the quatrains provide structure, Dickinson often deviates from strict, traditional rhyme schemes. She frequently uses slant rhyme or near rhyme, where words have similar but not identical sounds (e.g., “shoe” and “dew,” “heel” and “Pearl”). This technique creates a sense of spontaneity and naturalness, preventing the poem from feeling overly rigid or predictable. It also contributes to the dreamlike, slightly off-kilter atmosphere, reflecting the blurring of reality within the poem.
Shifting Perspective
The poem’s perspective subtly shifts throughout, guiding the reader through the speaker’s evolving experience. Initially, the speaker is an active observer, stating “I started Early — Took my Dog — / And visited the Sea —”. As the poem progresses, she becomes the observed, with “The Mermaids… Came out to look at me —” and the frigates “Presuming Me to be a Mouse —”. Finally, she becomes a participant, pursued by the personified sea: “And He followed close behind —”. This shifting perspective immerses the reader in the speaker’s journey, highlighting her vulnerability and the overwhelming nature of her encounter.
Ambiguity and Open-Endedness
One of Dickinson’s most characteristic poetic techniques is her use of ambiguity and open-endedness. The poem does not offer easy answers or a single, definitive interpretation. The exact nature of the sea’s “pursuit,” the meaning of the “pearls,” and the speaker’s ultimate transformation are left for the reader to ponder. This ambiguity invites deep engagement and allows for multiple, personal interpretations, making the poem resonate differently with each reader and ensuring its lasting power.
A Lasting Impression of ‘I started Early — Took my Dog —’
Emily Dickinson’s “I started Early — Took my Dog —” remains a timeless masterpiece, inviting readers into a world where the ordinary meets the extraordinary. Through her masterful use of vivid imagery, compelling personification, rich symbolism, and distinctive poetic structure, Dickinson crafts a narrative that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. The poem’s exploration of nature’s power, the awakening of desire, and the journey of transformation leaves a profound and lasting impression.
This poem encourages us to look beyond the surface of everyday experiences and to embrace the mystery and wonder that lie beneath. It reminds us that even a simple walk can become an epic adventure, full of discovery and profound change. As the sea ultimately withdraws, the memory of its power and beauty, and the pearls of experience, remain with the speaker and, indeed, with the reader.