It Knew No Medicine
poem 559
It knew no Medicine It was not Sickness then Nor any need of Surgery And therefore ’twas not Pain It moved away the Cheeks A Dimple at a time And left the Profile plainer And in the place of Bloom It left the little Tint That never had a Name You’ve seen it on a Cast’s face Was Paradise to blame If momently ajar Temerity drew near And sickened ever afterward For Somewhat that it saw?
It Knew No Medicine - meaning Summary
Small Change, Lasting Absence
The poem registers a subtle, nonmedical diminishment that removes youth’s visible bloom bit by bit. Dickinson describes a change that is not sickness or pain but a gentle erosion of cheek and tint, leaving a plainer profile. The speaker likens the lost quality to an ineffable color seen on a sculpted face and wonders whether a single brief daring moment—temerity—approached and then caused lasting decline. The closing question unsettles whether an ephemeral encounter or glance can trigger a durable loss of vitality or innocence.
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