I felt a Funeral, in my Brain (280)
I felt a Funeral, in my Brain (280) Lyrics
And Mourners to and fro
Kept treading – treading – till it seemed
That Sense was breaking through –
And when they all were seated
A Service, like a Drum –
Kept beating – beating – till I thought
My Mind was going numb –
And then I heard them lift a Box
And creak across my Soul
With those same Boots of Lead, again
Then Space – began to toll
As all the Heavens were a Bell
And Being, but an Ear
And I, and Silence, some strange Race
Wrecked, solitary, here –
And then a Plank in Reason, broke
And I dropped down, and down –
And hit a World, at every plunge
And Finished knowing – then –
About
Emily Dickinson is rumored to have suffered from agoraphobia, or the fear of public places. She rarely left home, and the majority of her poems were published posthumously. This poem may capture some of her isolation in her semi-reclusive state.
As one contributor noted, it is about the metaphorical death of part of Dickinson’s mind – perhaps her sanity or reason. She is so overwhelmed by her observations of other people and her interactions with them that she feels she is losing her sense of reality.
Structure
The structure of the poem is characteristic Dickinson. It comprises five quatrains, that is, stanzas of four lines each. There is an ABCB rhyme scheme throughout. The metrical rhythm is alternating iambic tetrameter — four iambs or metrical feet per line — alternating with iambic trimeter — three iambs per line. A iamb comprises one unstressed followed by one stressed syllable. The effect of this is ballad-like and ironically simple; the emotions and thoughts expressed are far from straightforward.
Two other features are typical of the poet, the use of dashes to create pauses or caesurae, which give the reader time to think and interpret what is being written.
The narrative seems to be tracing some sort of mental breakdown represented by the funeral metaphor. Each stanza describes a frightening stage in the thoughts of the speaker, with emphasis on falling and loss of reason. The dash and the unfinished ending are open to interpretation.
Language and Imagery
The voice is that of the first person speaker, we can assume the poet. The dominant image and metaphor is the funeral.
Typically of Dickinson, the use of capitals implies an experience greater than everyday events; there seems to be cosmic significance.
A notable device is that of alliteration, particularly in stanza two, where the repeated “b"s mimic a beating heart.
See The Poetry of Emily Dickinson; Atlantic Review
BBC Podcast ‘In Our Time’ – Emily Dickinson
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
The poem is about the metaphorical death of part of Dickinson’s mind – perhaps her sanity or reason. She is so overwhelmed by her observations of other people and her interactions with them that she feels quite disturbed and that she is losing her mind.
- 1.Real Riches
- 3.Hope
- 12.A Syllable
- 13.Parting
- 14.Aspiration
- 15.The Inevitable
- 16.A Book
- 18.A Portrait
- 23.The Lost Thought
- 24.Reticence
- 25.With Flowers
- 28.Contrast
- 29.Friends
- 30.Fire
- 31.A Man
- 32.Ventures
- 33.Griefs
- 35.Disenchantment
- 36.Lost Faith
- 37.Lost Joy
- 40.Alpine Glow
- 41.Remembrance
- 43.The Brain
- 45.The Past
- 48.Desire
- 49.Philosophy
- 50.Power
- 53.Experience
- 54.Thanksgiving Day
- 55.Childish Griefs
- 56.Consecration
- 57.Love’s Humility
- 58.Love
- 59.Satisfied
- 60.With A Flower
- 61.Song
- 62.Loyalty
- 65.Forgotten
- 67.The Master
- 72.Who?
- 74.Dreams
- 75.Numen Lumen
- 76.Nature’s changes
- 77.The Tulip
- 79.The Waking Year
- 81.March
- 82.Dawn (Version 2)
- 86.A Rose
- 88.Cobwebs
- 89.A Well
- 93.The Woodpecker
- 94.Snake
- 96.The Moon
- 97.The Bat
- 98.The Balloon
- 99.Evening
- 100.Cocoon
- 101.Sunset
- 102.Aurora
- 103.The Coming Of Night
- 104.Aftermath
- 109.Ending
- 114.Immortality
- 117.Death
- 118.Unwarned
- 121.Asleep
- 123.The Monument
- 131.Invisible
- 133.Trying To Forget
- 134.I felt a Funeral, in my Brain (280)
- 136.Waiting
- 140.Farewell
- 142.Dead
- 147.Joy In Death
- 154.The Soul’s Storm
- 156.Thirst
- 162.Retrospect
- 163.Eternity