I’ll tell you how the Sun rose —
A Ribbon at a time —
The Steeples swam in Amethyst —
The news, like Squirrels, ran —
The Hills untied their Bonnets —
The Bobolinks — begun —
Then I said softly to myself —
“That must have been the Sun”!
But how he set — I know not —
There seemed a purple stile
That little Yellow boys and girls
Were climbing all the while —
Till when they reached the other side,
A Dominie in Gray —
Put gently up the evening Bars —
And led the flock away —

Analysis, meaning and summary of Emily Dickinson's poem I’ll tell you how the Sun rose

14 Comments

  1. frumpo says:

    A symbolic description of sunrise and sunset–possibly of the rush of youth and the calm of old age?

  2. MEHWISH IJAZ says:

    THIS POEM IS REALLY EXCITING.And a very pleasant poem that tells about how the sunrises.I was a bit confused when first i had read this poem and felt that it was really boaring but now i think that it is reaay a poem of fun

  3. kosmonso says:

    This is a poem without hidden meaning for most readers. Just a clean, bright and fresh approach to a plain old sunrise.

  4. Abi says:

    It seems like whenever Emily writes a poem about nature it has a double meaning, but I really haven’t a clue. The sunset part makes me wonder if she’s referring to someone slipping away from her b4 she knew it, but I don’t know what that someone/something would be.

  5. I See More says:

    I see a lot more in this poem than just beautiful imagery of the sun rise. I feel like this is more about her feelings about religion and its effects on innocence. I know it seeems a little far out, but her background supports this analysis.

  6. iloveemilydickinson says:

    do you think its really just an imagery-focused poem about the sunrise or did she mean for it to have a hidden meaning

  7. ---Poem Hater--- says:

    I don’t like poems very much but this one mmakes you think about all the simple things in life.

  8. Kaylie Partridge says:

    This poem really gets you thinking. It kinda confused me when I first read it but after figuring out what it meant exactly I think it had an awesome meaning to it, and a great way of expressing what she was trying to express. It was great.

  9. Mary-Clare says:

    This is a beautiful poem, and not confusing and boring like most others I’ve read. What beautiful imagery!

  10. Kayla says:

    I really like this poem. It took me a little while before i understood what it ment, but I feel it is very powerful and i can picture it in my mind!

  11. ashley says:

    i like to read poems and i have to say that this is a great one. I have to be doing research on Emily and i will definitly include this in my project. It is awsome!!!

  12. a bored homework worker says:

    Although i am not enjoying such a project to work on, i would say this poem is able to be understood. How hard it is somtime to actually understand a poem in short terms, because they are more hidden in meaning and understanding. This poem gives a sense of feeling and reality out in the open.

  13. jazmin says:

    this poem is excellent. i loved it even though i had to read it again and again but i loved it. 🙂

  14. daimon says:

    The first two lines of this poem are the most beautiful words I have ever read~

    the rest ain’t bad, either –

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