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By Emily Dickinson. A narrow Fellow in the Grass. Occasionally rides - You may have met him? Did you not. His notice instant is - The Grass divides as with a Comb, A spotted Shaft is seen, And then it closes at your Feet. And opens further on - He likes a Boggy Acre - A Floor too cool for Corn - But when a Boy and Barefoot. I more than once at Noon
- Summary
- Structure and Form
- Analysis, Stanza by Stanza
The poem starts by introducing “A narrow Fellow in the Grass,” and the speaker asks readers if they’ve ever met him and noticed his traits. The speaker goes on, using personal pronouns to draw readers in, and describes the narrow fellow’s traits when he is seen: the grass parts “as with a Comb,” a “spotted Shaft” appears, and then the grass closes ...
The poem employs a consistent ABCB rhyme, predominantly using slant rhymes. These slant rhymescreate a sense of unease and imperfection, mirroring the soul’s complex and nuanced selective process. The poem primarily uses iambic trimeter and tetrameter, creating a rhythmic flow that underscores the thematic elements. Stressed syllables, marked by bo...
Stanzas One and Two
In the opening line of the first stanza, the reader does not know who this narrow fellow is, but because Dickinson describes him as a “fellow,” one can only assume that this is a skinny man lying in the grass. She claims that he “occasionally rides” but implies that he spends most of his time in the grass. The speaker does not go into detail about what the snake “rides”, but this description does give the reader the impression that she is speaking about a thin human being. The speaker claims...
Stanzas Three and Four
In these stanzas of ‘A narrow Fellow in the Grass,’ the speaker claims that the snake “likes a boggy acre.” In other words, he likes a soft, cool, swampy area in which to slither. He likes a cool floor and wet marshes. By using the word “like,” the speaker effectively personifiesthe snake. She has already called him a “fellow” and suggested that he “occasionally rides,” thereby giving him human qualities from the start. Now, he is a snake who prefers a certain type of home. This further perso...
Stanzas Five and Six
In these stanzas of ‘A narrow Fellow in the Grass,’ the speaker reveals that he knows “nature’s people.” The speaker has already personifiedthe snake in many ways. In this stanza, he now claims that the snake is one of “nature’s people.” The speaker not only claims that he knows nature’s people but also says,“ and they know me.” This suggests that the speaker has a connection with animal life that most people do not have. He claims that he knows the animals, and the animals know him. Then, he...
‘A narrow Fellow in the Grass’ is the 986 th poem in Emily Dickinson’s Complete Poems. It’s among her most famous and often-anthologised poems, so a few words of analysis may help us to get to the bottom of what the ‘narrow Fellow in the Grass’ means and why Dickinson is writing about him.
The poet observes the snake’s effortless movement and comments on its environment or, one should say, habitat — ‘a Boggy Acre’ and ‘a Floor too cool for Corn’. Dickinson describes the ...
“A narrow Fellow in the Grass” - This title and opening line sets the tone, introducing the snake as a ‘fellow’ which triggers curiosity. “You may have met Him” - This conversational tone creates intimacy and invites the reader to share a common experience.
Emily Dickinson's 1865 poem "A narrow Fellow in the Grass" uses the image of an encounter with a snake to explore the nature of fear and anxiety—especially the fear of deceit. Like the proverbial "snake in the grass," this snake is a creature of secretive, treacherous menace.
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A Narrow Fellow In The Grass. A narrow fellow in the grass Occasionally rides; You may have met him,–did you not, His notice sudden is. The grass divides as with a comb, A spotted shaft is seen; And then it closes at your feet And opens further on. He likes a boggy acre, A floor too cool for corn.
