Dear March-Come In – Emily Dickinson | Poetry Analysis

This poem was suggested by Lrose @ My Cozy Corner and Lrose5 Poetry. Make sure you check out both her blogs! Apart from being an amazing poet, she’s also a lovely friend!

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson, born on December 10, 1830 was an American poet who was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, into a prominent family with strong ties to its community. While Dickinson was a prolific writer, her only publications during her lifetime were 10 of her nearly 1,800 poems, and one letter. It was not until after her death in 1886—when Lavinia, Dickinson’s younger sister, discovered her cache of poems—that the breadth of her work became public. She died at the age of 55, on May 15, 1886.
(Information from Wikipedia, image from Goodreads)

This poem consists of the main idea of Transcendentalism — nature.
The main theme of the poem is March, the beginning of spring which the poet has personified. She personifies March as a person when she tells March to “put down” his “hat” which is something only a person would wear. She also seems to be annoyed with April, commenting on how April calls while she is enjoying the company of March.

Put down your Hat –
You must have walked –
How out of Breath you are –

Dickinson describes the core living materials of spring, including birds. The poem also reflects on her feelings of welcoming nature to her front door. However just as life arrives without any signs or warnings, it could also disappear in a flash. Dickinson mentions how she does not want the arrival of April.

The last two lines are about how praise and blame are related to each other. Here the narrator says that blame is praise and praise is blame. When someone blames March for taking away the beautiful purple hues of the hills, it is also praising March for bringing those very gorgeous colors. Basically what March takes away, it also brings and that is why blame and praise follow each other.

That blame is just as dear as Praise
And Praise as mere as Blame –

As in many Dickinson poems, meter and end rhyme are sprightly in “Dear March – Come In. It is present but is different from the formal poetry of her time due to the absence of rigidity and unpredictability.

The descriptive use of words, the personification and the rich imagery are noted features of this poem. This poem has a beautifully refreshing air to it that it is like a breath of fresh air in itself. Even though this poem is written in free verse, Dickinson strikes the perfect balance in this poem.

Referred Sources:
Transcendentalism
www.americanpoems.com
womensvoicesforchange.org

So that was all for this poem! Hope you enjoyed reading this lovely poem. Please feel free to point out any errors or additions! Thank you so much for reading!