Emily Dickinson

A Burdock—clawed my Gown

Summary


"A Burdock—clawed my Gown" is a short poem in which a snagged dress becomes a lesson in blame. The speaker admits she wandered too near the Burdock's den, then turns to a bog that spoils her shoe and the splashing walkers it was made to catch. Dickinson's dry humor builds toward minnows, who despise easily, and the calm-eyed Elephant, who looks further on.

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A Burdock—clawed my Gown—
Not Burdock’s—blame—
But mine—
Who went too near
The Burdock’s Den—

A woman in a 19th-century gown with burdock clinging to her skirt, standing by a bog — illustration for A Burdock—clawed my Gown

A Bog—affronts my shoe—
What else have Bogs—to do—
The only Trade they know—
The splashing Men!
Ah, pity—then!

’Tis Minnows can despise!
The Elephant’s—calm eyes
Look further on!

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Credits

Emily Dickinson was a 19th-century American poet from Amherst, Massachusetts, known for her compact, dash-filled verse and her sharp, playful view of nature. This poem is a good example of how she gives small, everyday annoyances a moral edge in only a few lines.