The Day Came Slow
The day came slow, till five o’clock, Then sprang before the hills, Like hindered rubies, or the light, A sudden musket spills. The purple could not keep the east. The sunrise shook from fold. Like breadths of topaz, packed a night, The lady just unrolled. The happy winds their timbrels took; The birds in docile rows, Arranged themselves around their prince. (The wind is prince of those.) The orchard sparkled like a Jew, How mighty ’twas to stay, A guest in this stupendous place, The parlor of the day.
The Day Came Slow - meaning Summary
Dawn as Grand Arrival
The poem describes a slow, ceremonial sunrise that bursts into light with jewel-like imagery. Dickinson personifies natural forces—the wind as a prince, birds arranged like attendants—and treats the orchard and morning as a lavish, domestic reception. The speaker experiences awe and smallness, positioned as a respectful guest in the "parlor of the day," observing grandeur and order in the newly revealed world.
Read Complete Analyses
Feel free to be first to leave comment.