Emily Dickinson

"POOR little heart! Did they forget thee?
Then dinna care! Then dinna care!
Proud little heart! Did they forsake thee? 5
Be debonair! Be debonair!
Frail little heart! I would not break thee:
Could’st credit me? Could’st credit me?
Gay little heart! 10 Like morning glory
Thou’ll wilted be; thou’ll wilted be" (Dickinson).

This poem by Emily Dickinson relates to her feelings and her life. Supposedly, Emily Dickinson's heart was broken by a someone who did not love her in the same way that she loved him. Because of her embarrassment and shame, she secluded herself in her house. I believe that this poem conveys her feelings on this tragic experience. In the first stanza, Dickinson states the problem. "POOR little heart! Did they forget thee?
Then dinna care! Then dinna care" (Dickinson)! This translates to "poor little heart, did they forget about you? Then do not care. Be care free!" This is Emily's way of telling herself to forget about the heart break. Do not worry over it. Do not stress herself about it. Do not care that it happened. In the next stanza, she says "Proud little heart! Did they forsake thee? 5
Be debonair! Be debonair" (Dickinson)! This translates to "Proud little heart, did they leave you? Then do not show your sadness. Be prideful. Act as if nothing happened. Be debonair!" Though her heart was broken, Dickinson is trying to forget about it. She is trying to hide it, to show people that she is perfectly fine. She is pretending not to care. The next stanza states, "Frail little heart! I would not break thee:
Could’st credit me? Could’st credit me" (Dickinson)? This translates to "Frail little heart, I would not break you or hurt you. Can you credit me to this?" Emily Dickinson is then saying that she would not hurt herself. She knows what she wants and needs, and she would not do anything to hurt herself. Basically, up to this point, Emily Dickinson has confronted her broken heart, convinced herself to let it go and be strong and prideful. And she has put confidence into herself to guard herself. The next stanza says, " Gay little heart! 10 Like morning glory
Thou’ll wilted be; thou’ll wilted be" (Dickinson). This translates to "Happy little heart, like temporary morning glory, you will be wilted." This last stanza brings the poem back around in a circle. She says here that it is still wilted from the event; as much as she tried to forget about it and not be affected by it, she cannot, and she is still hurt by the heart break. The words that really give this poem the meaning it has and tells a story are the adjectives describing her heart. She starts with poor, then goes to proud, then goes to frail, then goes to gay, meaning happy. Her poor heart is hurt by the heart break. She tries to hide it and show that she has a proud heart. This does not heal it, so it is a frail heart still in danger of being broken again. The last one, gay heart, seems to be good for her, but the ending lines show that it is only a charade. In the end, Emily Dickinson is still hurt and affected by her tragic heart break.


Works Cited

Dickinson, Emily. "Poor Little Heart" Bartleby.com. Bartleby.com, 2011. Web. 24 Mar. 2011.