“Death Sets a Thing Significant” by Emily Dickinson

Even if you’re not a huge fan of poetry, you’ve most likely heard of mid-19th century poet Emily Dickinson. Born in 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts, Dickinson spent most of her life completely isolated from the outside world. Her work was heavily influenced by the metaphysical poets of the 17th century England, as well as her Puritan upbringing.

Upon her death in 1886, members of Dickinson’s family found her handbound collection of 40 poetry volumes containing nearly 1,800 poems. Dickinson’s poems have had a major influence on the world of poetry ever since.

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Dickinson’s poem “Death Sets a Thing Significant” comments on the way in which we find value in the possessions of our loved ones after they have died, and how even the most insignificant things become meaningful after a loved one is gone. In the first stanza, she writes:

“Death sets a thing significant
The eye had hurried by,
Except a perished creature
Entreat us tenderly.”

She then goes on to describe how finding the most incidental things — a crayon or a piece of wool — tucked away “among the dust upon the closet shelves” can bring us solace after a loved one’s death. In the third stanza, the narrator describes coming across just such a piece of memorabilia after the death of a friend.

“A book I have, a friend gave,
Whose pencil, here and there,
Had notched the place that pleased him,–
At rest his fingers are.”

But in the last stanza, the narrator dissolves into grief, unable to continue reading through her tears. Here, she reminds us that memories have the power to both comfort and torment us as we mourn.

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For those of us who are grieving the death of a loved one, “Death Sets a Thing Significant” reminds us to take the time to relive the memories we shared with the person who died. Although they may be terribly painful now, with time they may very well be the things we cherish most.