A Narrow Fellow in the Grass 1

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 -
But when a Boy, and Barefoot
I more than once at Noon
Have passed, I thought, a Whip lash
Unbraiding in the Sun
When stooping to secure it
It wrinkled, and was gone -


A Narrow Fellow in the Grass 2

Several of Nature's People
I know and they know me -
I feel for them a transport
Of Cordiality -

But never met this Fellow
Attended or alone
Without a tighter Breathing
And Zero at the Bone.

A Narrow Fellow in the Grass: Introduction
"A Narrow Fellow in the Grass" is believed to have been written in 1865. A year later, it was published anonymously under the title "The Snake" in a journal called the Springfield Republican. The natural world is portrayed vividly throughout Dickinson's work, and this poem closely examines on of nature's most infamous creatures, the snake.

The poem begins with a description of the shock of encountering a snake. Although the poem's speaker never actually uses the word "snake," the scene is familiar enough for most readers to relate to it. The snake is almost magical as it moves, ghost-like, through the tall grass. The speaker sees only flashes of the snake's scaly skin, but there is evidence of its presence as the grass separates in its wake.

The poem goes on to illustrate how snakes can be deceptive. The word "barefoot" makes the speaker seem even more vulnerable to the serpent's potential threat. Mistaking a snake for the lash of a whip on the ground, the speaker reaches down to grab it and is startled to see it slither away.

The snake, one of the most notorious creatures in the natural world, has long been a symbol of treachery. Although the poem's speaker claims to be a lover of nature, it seems that the snake, while fascinating, is impossible to love. In fact, the speaker reacts to the snake as if it were a living manifestation of the terror of the unknown, for it is both startling and chilling.

A Narrow Fellow in the Grass: Summary 1

Lines 1-4: In the opening quatrain, Dickinson cleverly disguises the subject of the poem, a snake. This creature sounds harmless enough as it is introduced in line one. The term "narrow Fellow" is a nice use of colloquial language, "narrow," meaning small in width as compared to length, and "fellow" being a familiar term for a man or a boy, with an undertone that suggests commonness. The choice of the word "rides" is also interesting because it sounds like "glides" and "writhes" but gives the impression that the snake is being carried, or that it is floating along. In addition, the word can also mean torment, harass, or tease, and this definition fits the snake's reputation as a sly tempter. The speaker goes on to ask readers if they, too, have ever encountered snakes, noting that these "narrow fellows" always seem to take people by surprise.


A Narrow Fellow in the Grass: Summary 2

Lines 5-8: This second quatrain vividly describes the way a snake moves through tall grass. In line one, the grass is compared to hair and the snake to a comb moving through it. In line two, only part of the snake is seen, "a spotted shaft." The snake is long, slender, and marked with spots, and it is quickly glimpsed as it passes at the speaker's feet. After the flash of snake, the grass closes up and then is "combed" apart again...

A Narrow Fellow in the Grass: Summary 3

In "a Narrow Fellow in the Grass", Dickinson examines the fascination and fear that a snake can inspire in its onlookers. "Narrow Fellow"; the snake, a disturbing fellow. At first the snake is observed for his strange beauty and behavior. "Notice Sudden"; quick and sudden movement. "Grass divides as with a comb"; as the snake moves on, it divides the grass into half. His appearance is said to be "sudden", and as he moves in the field, "the snake divides as with a comb". "Spotted shaft"; the snake is long and spotted. "Whiplash"; regal power. "Unbraiding"; slithering movements His "spotted body" is projected as powerful when he is described as "a whiplash/unbraiding in the sun". "Closes at your feet"; comes near out feet. "Opens further on"; goes further away from human touch. However, a disturbing undertone is indicated in the snake's hidden and unpredictable movements.

The snake's home is remote from human inhabitation. "Boggy Acre"; marshy and cultivated land. His fondness for primitive swamps where no corn ever grows, hints at the snake's Biblical association with evil and desolation. A bare-footed child is introduced in the poem as a mask for the poet. The child stoops to pick up the lash of an abandoned whip, but the snake "wrinkled and was gone". "Nature's people"; other creatures of nature like birds and animals and people. The snake's elusive and slithering motion recalls the Biblical curse "upon thy belly thou shall go", and makes it alien and an object of terror. "Transport of cordiality"; feeling of understanding and friendship.


A Narrow Fellow in the Grass: Summary 4

The last two stanzas contrast the poet's love for other parts of nature with the terror she feels towards the snake. "Tighter breathing"; constricted breathing due to terror. The striking image at the close of the poem evokes the absolute horror and revulsion she experiences when she meets the snake. "Zero at the bone"; bone-numbing chill. From an interesting, mildly amused treatment of its external characteristics, the poem develops into the snake's association with man's fear of the unknown and evil itself.