Shadows Hold Their Breath By POET Emily Dickinson

When it comes, the Landscape listens —

Shadows — hold their breath —

When it goes, 'tis like the Distance

On the look of Death —

These lines are from a poem by Emily Dickinson titled "There's a certain Slant of light." The poem explores the emotional impact of a certain kind of light that the speaker associates with winter afternoons. The lines you quoted suggest that the arrival and departure of this slant of light profoundly affect the surrounding landscape. The phrase "When it comes, the Landscape listens - Shadows - hold their breath" suggests that the arrival of this light is a moment of great stillness and anticipation as if the entire world is waiting in anticipation for what will come next. The poem's final line, "When it goes, 'tis like the Distance On the look of Death," suggests that the departure of this light is a moment of great finality and closure, like the moment of death. The poem can be interpreted as a meditation on the fleeting nature of life and how even small moments can have a profound emotional impact on us. The poem also suggests that the experience of these moments is a reminder of the transience of life and the importance of cherishing each moment as it passes.

N E X T

"I like to see it lap the Miles"

I like to see it lap the Miles —

And lick the Valleys up —

And stop to feed itself in Tanks —

And then — prodigious step