The First Met
Death and the maiden by Marianne Stokes, 1900
“Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me – ”
The Polar Express by Robert Zemeckis, 2004
“The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality. ”
The painting that incorporated with first two lines of the poem is called Death and the maiden, which is made by Marianne Stokes in 1900. According to my research, the figure of Death is represented by a “winged woman dressed in black”, instead of the common figure of Death that we used to picture in our mind. In the same way, Emily Dickinson has portrayed Death in a unique way in her poem 479. Death is described as a friend who wants to pick the narrator up and go on a trip with him. On the painting, the death gently makes a gesture to the nervous maiden. Perhaps she is trying to say “don’t ask, and follow me”, which relates to the poem when Death “kindly stopped for me”.
The second image is a movie scene from the fantasy film The Polar Express, directed by Robert Zemeckis in 2004. It is the moment when the boy is waken up by a train, and ready to go on an adventure though he doesn’t know where the train is heading to. My interpretation of the poem is Dickinson’s dream of her life adventure with Death, thus this image is incorporated with the text when the author goes on a trip with Immortality and Death. However, the carriage turns into a more contemporary train in the chosen image.
On The Road
Danse macabre by Ellys et Thanatos, 1486
“We slowly drove – He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility – ”
The image is composed of two characters, a lady and Death, with their hands holding and seems heading to somewhere. It looks like the lady is interrupted by the Death while she is doing housework. Death is playing an instrument ( which represents “civility”) and leading the lady, which creates a pleasant mood even though the drawing implies mortality. The poetry 479 describes a similar situation that happens between the narrator and Death.
First Stop: Childhood
Mt. Holyoke Female Seminary by Persis Thurston, 1800s
“We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess – in the Ring – ”
In the poem, the first stop of life journey is school, which refers to people’s childhood. The drawing shows the school where Dickinson was educated and graduated at 1848. It was located eleven miles from her hometown, Amherst. Research studies indicate that Dickinson has “a far larger and richer scientific vocabulary than that of most of her contemporaries” due to the knowledge she acquired at school. Most people’s childhood memories are generated from school, therefore the author mentions school as the start of one’s life. The narration of life cycle also reflects Dickinson’s zest for life.
Harvest Season of Life
For Amber Waves of Grain by Terry Redlin, 1977
“We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain – ”
While the narrator of poem passed grain field during her journey with Death, it means she has reached middle age of her life. The grain fields in the poem represents the adulthood of one’s life. It refers to the time period when people settle down and live with their spouses and children. The painting reflects this concept by portraying both the family and field of grain.
Sunset of Life
Avenue of Poplars At Sunset by Vincent van Gogh,1884
“We passed the Setting Sun – ”
From the grain fields view to the scene of setting sun, the carriage is heading towards the end of life journey. In Van Gogh’s painting of sunset, there is a blurry figure of person slowly walking along the road towards the setting sun. Sunset is the symbol of one’s old age of life. This is related to the poem when Death and narrator passed the sunset. It also gives a hint that they are getting close to the end of life.
Wither Away
The Death Of Casagemas by Pablo Picasso, 1901
“The Dews drew quivering and chill –
For only Gossamer, my Gown –
My Tippet – only Tulle – ”
When it comes to the end of journey, the mood has became less joyful but depressed. The narrator eventually realizes that her life is withered away. As for this section, the poem turns into a melancholy tone, which approaches the reader’s feeling about death. In 1901, Picasso painted his close friend Casagemas’s death. The scene was painted in cold tone that created a sorrowful mood. Casagemas seems to be peaceful as he was just falling asleep. This imagery is reflected in both the poem and painting.
Last Stop: The Grave
Lilacs Line My Grave by Celeste Drewien, 2015
“We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground –
The Roof was scarcely visible –
The Cornice – in the Ground – ”
Here, the “house seems a swelling of the ground” refers to grave. The last stop of Dickinson’s journey with Death in dream is grave after death. She narrates the grave as a little house in a euphemistic way, and puts away the ghastly impression of grave. In the same way, this idea is embodied in the painting by Celeste Drewien. The grave is surrounded by colorful flowers which implies vitality. The plants which is grown on the grave means that death is not our destination but eternity is.
Moving Towards Eternity
Death of the Artist — the Last Friend by Zygmund Andrychiewicz, 1898
“Since then – ‘tis Centuries – and yet
Feels shorter than the Day ”
In this section, Dickinson narrates about the time after death. Time is infinite, which is incorporated with the author’s deliberate thinking of eternality. Also, the uncertainty about time adds mystical color to the poem, is eternality tedious or rapid? The image portrays the death of an artist, while Death is mourning him by playing the violin. The Death is dressed in suits, which coincides with the figure of Death in the poem. By looking at the painting, we are uncertain about how long the time has gone after the artist’ death; however, the imagery tells us the sprit of the artist is immortality.
Destination: Eternal Life
Trees on Water by Moises Levy, 2013
“I first surmised the Horses’ Heads
Were toward Eternity – ”
Dickinson’s conception of eternity turns the tragedy of death into an endless script of life. She tends to deliver an idea that the mortality should not be equal to the end of a sprit; at the same time, our fear of death is meaningless. In the image Trees on Water, the tree is grown with its trunk extends above the sea. Although the root of tree is not shown, we can clearly see the treetop pointing at the skyline like an endless road. Trees also stand for life, which can be connected with the concept of eternity that derived from the poem.
—By Sihong Li