We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess – in the Ring –
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –
We passed the Setting Sun –
Or rather – He passed us –
The Dews drew quivering and chill –
For only Gossamer, my Gown –
My Tippet – only Tulle –
We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground –
The Roof was scarcely visible –
The Cornice – in the Ground –
Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity –
This last stanza is so important to the entire poem. It helps the readers to understand that the speaker is not experiencing death at this very moment but instead is recalling the day death came for her. It has been so long but yet that day is so fresh and vivid in the speaker’s mind. It shows how important that this day may have been to the speaker. She remembers so many little details of this day even though it has been centuries.
Because I Could Not Stop for Death