The poem
I had no time to Hate -- Because The Grave would hinder Me -- And Life was not so Ample I Could finish -- Enmity --
Nor had I time to Love -- But since Some Industry must be -- The little Toil of Love -- I thought Be large enough for Me --
I had no time to Hate
478Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson
Keep reading
Discover more of Emily Dickinson’s poetry.
Readers
Reader discussion 6 comments
- Readers
- 6
- Stanzas quoted
- 1of 2
- Most quoted
- “Nor had I time to Love”1 reader
- Longest reading
- Mick160 words
I think what Emily is trying to say is that
LIFE itself may sometimes have no room to over power HATEover love. Her direct comparissons with the two leads me to believe that she was very bitter but not concerned with deeply rooted hatred.
I think she's saying life is too short to hate- and that, although life may also seem too short to love, the realitive labor of love is minor compared to the labor of hate and worth the risk.
Analysis and comments on I had no time to Hate by Emily Dickinson
• First stanza- Since she felt that her death (suicidal tendencies and depression) was near, she had no time to hate and her personal life was empty and so should did not want enemies.
•
Second stanza- She did not have time to love either, but some of the industry ( probably the press, since she was involved in poetry) must be supporting her. And her little world of poetry (toil of love) was large enough for her to repay it.
English
does it have anything literary element in this poem?
NPvxCwegJA
The crux of your writing wilsht sounding agreeable in the beginning, did not settle well with me personally after some time. Somewhere throughout the sentences you actually were able to make me a believer but just for a while. I however have a problem with your leaps in assumptions and one might do nicely to fill in all those breaks. When you can accomplish that, I will undoubtedly end up being impressed.
First Stanza - Life is short, and with that realization, there is no time for her to Hate. The second, if life wasn't so "ample" (Def. Enough or more than enough; plentiful) she would be willing to die with deep seated hate or hostility towards others (i.e. Enmity). Basically, life is too short to hate and too plentiful to die with strong hostility or hate for others (why be angry and hostile when life is so full).…
Read the whole commentFirst Stanza - Life is short, and with that realization, there is no time for her to Hate. The second, if life wasn't so "ample" (Def. Enough or more than enough; plentiful) she would be willing to die with deep seated hate or hostility towards others (i.e. Enmity). Basically, life is too short to hate and too plentiful to die with strong hostility or hate for others (why be angry and hostile when life is so full).
Second Stanza - She didn't feel like she had time for love since life requires hard work (Industry capitalized), but the small amounts of love which she believes were hard work (Toil capitalized), were enough to make her happy. Some people take this to mean that life is also too short and maybe too busy to truly love someone, but that love is so powerful one can find enjoyment and appreciate even the the small amounts they are able to experience in life.