Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Emily Dickinson's "Death is the supple Suitor" explores the inescapable nature of mortality through a metaphorical lens. Dickinson equates death to a suitor, an entity that woos life until it finally prevails. Comprising of thirteen lines, the poem utilizes an ABCB DEDE FGHG rhyme scheme and is replete with haunting imagery, invoking themes of courtship, inevitability, and surrender. The unconventional approach to rhyme could be read as reflective of the unpredictable nature of death itself.

The poem opens with the line, "Death is the supple Suitor," employing alliteration to heighten the phrase's unsettling aura. The term "supple" presents a death that is flexible, inevitable, and patient. Death is a "Suitor" who "wins at last," marking it as an indefatigable pursuer who ultimately prevails.

In the second stanza, death's "stealthy Wooing" is "Conducted first / By pallid innuendoes / And dim approach." This builds on the earlier notion of death's suppleness, elucidating how death creeps upon life slowly, without clear or overt indication. The phrase "pallid innuendoes" implies that the first signs of mortality are subtle and understated, and often, we fail to acknowledge them.

However, this quiet and gradual approach changes dramatically: death becomes "brave at last with Bugles / And a bisected Coach." These lines invoke images of a grand, ceremonial departure, replete with fanfare and pageantry. The "bisected Coach" may symbolize the divided nature of existence-life and death, or it could denote the two realms that the departed is passing between-the world of the living and the dead.

The next lines, "It bears away in triumph / To Troth unknown," employ "Troth" to suggest a commitment or covenant that is yet unknown, potentially the unknown nature of life after death. Here, the suitor, Death, claims its bride and proceeds to a mysterious destination, a commitment to the unknown.

The poem concludes with the line, "And Kindred as responsive / As Porcelain," adding a chilling note to the poem. This ending, likening loved ones to "Porcelain," evokes the brittle, cold, and unresponsive nature of inanimate objects, suggesting that in the face of death's triumph, the living can do little but to remain cold and impassive.

Throughout "Death is the supple Suitor," Dickinson crafts a vivid metaphor comparing death to a suitor in a courtship dance with life, one that always concludes in death's favor. The poem masterfully blends the language of love and courtship with that of inevitability and finality. In doing so, it confronts the reader with the inescapable fact of their own mortality and the transient nature of existence. This leads to a poignant but inevitable conclusion: death, the "supple Suitor," will eventually claim us all, leading us to an "unknown Troth," as life's ultimate commitment.

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