Emily Dickinson and the Meter of Mood: An Experiment in Text Analysis

I tie my Hat -- I crease my Shawl -- Life's little duties do -- precisely -- As the very least Were infinite -- to me -- I put new Blossoms in the Glass -- And throw the old -- away -- I push a petal from my gown That anchored there -- I weigh The time'twill be till six o'clock I have so much to do -- And yet -- Existence -- some way back -- Stopped -- struck -- my ticking -- through -- The enigmatic young lady staring directly into our eyes in the famous daguerreotype pictured above challenges us. What is she thinking, with her slightly pursed lips, small nosegay, and plain dress? Perhaps she is composing another of the nearly 1800 poems she wrote in her lifetime. Perhaps she is thinking of her garden, where she gathered some fresh flowers. Perhaps she is pondering the many things she has to do before six o'clock. The poet Emily Dickinson, pictured above, is, of course, drawing on the "carpe diem" trope in her poem. As Robert Pinsky noted, the poet is well known for her somber, "steely perception" that time runs on.