214. A light exists in spring; Emily Dickinson

This poem by Emily Dickinson is one of her more religious poems. The poem uses different literary devices, but the main device used is Metaphor. The "light" is actually the heavens, and God.
"A light exists in spring
Not present on the year
At any other period"
The first reason we know that this light is a symbol of religion is the fact that Dickinson says it only appears in the spring. The spring season is strongly symbolic of rebirth. This religion is not present at any other time of the year because out of all the seasons, spring is the most religious. Winter represents death, and, in literature, Autumn and Summer are normally viewed as neutral seasons. Dickinson also says, in lines 7 and 8, "That science cannot overtake But human nature feels" - She is saying that this light cannot be taken over by science, and that it is human nature to feel this religious light coming from the sky.
In the third stanza, Dickinson says
"It waits upon the lawn,
It shows the furthest tree
Upon the furthest slope you know."
The fact that this light is waiting represents the Heaven - although creepy, Heaven is always waiting for you. And since this light can show you the furthest tree on the furthest slope, Dickinson is expressing how this light can be close (lawn) and extremely far away at the same time; showing the vast size of the light - referring to Heaven again.
Also, "light" often refers to God. In many religions, Jesus is known as "the Light of the World."


Another device Dickinson uses in this poem is Imagery. The scenery she creates with her language supports the religious theme she was reaching for in her poem. In the second stanza, she says "A color stands abroad On solitary fields." The reader is able to vision this light creating a bright color, shining on lonely fields. - This also helps with the religious theme of the poem because when the reader can actually picture this light, they can relate and it makes the poem more meaningful. Also, the fourth stanza creates a beautiful picture; "Then as the horizons step Or noons report away, Without the formula of sound It passes, and we stay-"
In this stanza, the reader can see the horizons and the daylight quietly and slowly move away (the religious light retreating) Also, you can see the light back away and the speaker remaining solitary, without this light.


I really like this poem, and I believe Emily Dickinson is one of the greatest poems of all time. The thing I like about this poem is how Dickinson makes this light come and go in different stages of the poem. In the first stanza, the light is coming, in the second and third stanza, the light is there, and by the third stanza the light is leaving, in the fourth stanza the light is gone. Another thing that is really appealing about the poem is the imagery. Throughout the entire poem I could see everything that was happening, whether it was the light waiting upon the lawn, or the horizons backing away; everything is so clear.