March
By Emily Dickinson
We like March, his shoes are purple,
He is new and high;
Makes he mud for dog and peddler,
Makes he forest dry;
Knows the adder's tongue his coming,
And begets her spot.
Stands the sun so close and mighty
That our minds are hot.
News is he of all the others;
Bold it were to die
With the blue-birds buccaneering
On his British sky.
Poem Analysis:
Emily Dickinson’s poem March is a compact yet vivid celebration of the month that signals transition and renewal. Known for her economical language and metaphysical leanings, Dickinson here captures March not only as a time of seasonal change but as a dynamic, almost mischievous character in nature’s yearly drama. With its whimsical imagery, quiet subversion of poetic norms, and undercurrent of philosophical inquiry, the poem reads as both playful and profound.
Personification and Playfulness
From the very first line, Dickinson anthropomorphizes March:
We like March, his shoes are purple, / He is new and high;
By giving March a gender and attributes—purple shoes, freshness, elevation—Dickinson turns the month into a character with agency. The "purple shoes" may symbolize royalty, eccentricity, or even the early blooms of spring, suggesting that March walks with distinctive flair. Calling him "new and high" evokes freshness and ambition, possibly alluding to March's position as the gateway to spring and upward renewal after the stillness of winter.
This personification establishes a tone that is light but not without deeper meaning. March becomes a kind of whimsical deity or trickster figure in Dickinson's seasonal mythology.
Nature as a Living Process
In the next lines, March’s effect on the world is described through seemingly mundane but deeply organic actions:
Makes he mud for dog and peddler, / Makes he forest dry;
Here, Dickinson captures March's duality: it creates both mess and renewal. The "mud" results from melting snow—a sign of warmth returning—but it’s not glorified. Instead, it’s connected to everyday life ("dog and peddler"), grounding the poem in rustic realism. Meanwhile, “Makes he forest dry” suggests preparation for new life, hinting at the clearing of dampness and decay to allow growth.
Dickinson’s attention to small, sensory details—mud, dryness, heat—keeps nature tangible and immediate, reminding us that seasonal change is felt not abstractly, but physically.
Symbolism and Subtle Spirituality
The stanza that follows introduces a more symbolic tone:
Knows the adder's tongue his coming, / And begets her spot.
The “adder’s tongue” is likely a reference to the early-spring wildflower, not the snake. This detail is crucial: it shows how nature anticipates March's arrival in subtle, biological ways. The flower “knows” March instinctively, just as nature responds unconsciously to seasonal rhythms. Dickinson captures a sense of the sacred here—of nature's cycles being wise, orderly, and deeply connected.
Sun, Thought, and Intensity
The next lines bring in a sudden heat—literal and metaphorical:
Stands the sun so close and mighty / That our minds are hot.
This line shows March not just affecting the body (with heat) but stimulating the mind. The nearness of the sun symbolizes illumination, passion, or even anxiety. The phrase “our minds are hot” is ambiguous—it could indicate inspiration, overstimulation, or the mental restlessness that comes with change. Dickinson invites us to consider how the seasons affect our inner lives, not just the outer world.
Mortality and the Boldness of Life
The poem closes with a striking juxtaposition:
News is he of all the others; / Bold it were to die / With the blue-birds buccaneering / On his British sky.
March, here, is a "news-bearer"—it heralds what is to come, an early emissary of spring. The line "Bold it were to die" introduces a dramatic existential note. To die in March, amid the energy of rebirth and bluebirds “buccaneering” across the sky, would be audacious. The word “buccaneering”—playful, rebellious—imparts movement, color, and spirit, while the “British sky” suggests a subdued, gray backdrop being animated by these lively birds.
This ending encapsulates the poem’s tension: between life and death, beginnings and endings, stasis and movement. To die in March is bold because everything else is surging into life.
Themes and Interpretations
- Personified Nature: Dickinson treats March as a conscious, creative force, bridging the gap between winter’s end and spring’s beginning.
- Cycle of Renewal: The poem celebrates seasonal transformation, showing how life quietly and persistently returns.
- Mind and Season: There's a psychological dimension to the poem—March affects not just the environment but human thought and mood.
- Mortality and Timing: The mention of death in a time of new life draws attention to the fragility of existence and the daring of choosing one's end in a moment of universal renewal.
Emily Dickinson’s March is brief but rich—a masterclass in poetic compression and evocative language. Through a blend of whimsy, natural observation, and philosophical musing, Dickinson creates a portrait of March as a vibrant, complex figure: harbinger of mud and bloom, bearer of sun and thought, and companion to both life and death. It’s a poem that, like the month itself, holds contradictions in perfect balance—transience and transformation, decay and vitality, play and seriousness.