The Rose did caper on her cheek —
Her Bodice rose and fell —
Her pretty speech — like drunken men —
Did stagger pitiful —

Her fingers fumbled at her work —
Her needle would not go —
What ailed so smart a little Maid —
It puzzled me to know —

Till opposite — I spied a cheek
That bore another Rose —
Just opposite — Another speech
That like the Drunkard goes —

A Vest that like her Bodice, danced —
To the immortal tune —
Till those two troubled — little Clocks
Ticked softly into one.

Analysis, meaning and summary of Emily Dickinson's poem The Rose did caper on her cheek

4 Comments

  1. 碧海澄波星月朗 says:

    two red candles are burning silengly as if they are whispering with their staggering blaze?when burned out,their time is over and ticks into one same immortality.

  2. Victoria says:

    The theme of this poem is simply: In the first two stanzas, a girl is described as a mentally and physically nervous or worried wreck. The speaker can’t figure out what’s going on, then the speaker sees a boy with the same symptoms and realizes that the two are in love.

  3. frumpo says:

    The shyness of young love.

  4. Heather says:

    I love this poem

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Do you have any comments, criticism, paraphrasis or analysis of this poem that you feel would assist other visitors in understanding the meaning or the theme of this poem by Emily Dickinson better? If accepted, your analysis will be added to this page of American Poems. Together we can build a wealth of information, but it will take some discipline and determination.