Summary

“Because I could not stop for Death” begins with the speaker explaining that, because she could not stop and wait for “Death” (1), he “kindly” (2) stopped to pick her up, in a carriage holding “just Ourselves — / And Immortality” (3-4). In the second quatrain, or four-line stanza, the speaker describes the languid pace of the carriage and the “Civility” (4) of its occupants, noting that she had “put away / My labor and my leisure too” (6-7). In other words, she was neither working nor playing, but fully present on the ride. The third quatrain depicts different settings passed by the carriage on its route, including a school where children were playing “At Recess — in the Ring” (10) as well as “Fields of Gazing Grain” (11). After passing these educational and agricultural settings, the speaker indicates that the day was growing short, mentioning that they also passed “the Setting Sun...