Emily Dickinson's "It sifts from Leaden Sieves"

In the poem “It sifts from Leaden Sieves,” Emily Dickinson is very ambiguous as to what she is describing. (I had to google her poem to figure out that she was describing snow.) She did not use any terminology that is associated with weather. Dickinson’s choice of diction and metaphors also add to the ambiguity of the poem. Each stanza by itself does not bring to mind snow but taken together, the poem creates a complete picture; after one finds outs that the subject was snow, the poem made more sense. In the first line, Dickinson writes, “It sifts from Leaden Sieves.” Because of Dickinson’s use of the term “Leaden Sieves,” it was difficult to determine what she was referring to. Dickinson meant to relate snow to the way flour is sifted to remove the clumps; the flour falls from the sifter like scattered powder. Dickinson also uses the work “wood” which can bring to mind a piece of wood or something made of wood and not woods or trees. Dickinson also states, “It reaches to the Fence—/ It wraps it Rail by Rail;” one does not imagine the powder-like snow wrapping around rails like a ribbon or string would. The snow also “Ruffles Wrists of Posts / As Ankles of a Queen—;” this description brings to mind lace that covers a Queens ankles and not snow. One has a hard time imagining how snow can “Stump, and Stack—and Stem—/ A Summer’s empty Room—.” Dickinson is describing how the snow is covering the “Summer’s empty Room,” which may be a metaphor for the fields and gardens.

However, Dickinson also includes some descriptive words that bring to mind the whiteness and softness of snow. Dickinson relates snow to “Alabaster Wool;” alabaster is a white, translucent substance, and wool is soft and white. The word “Fleeces” also makes one think of softness. In the end, Dickinson writes “Then stills it’s Artisans—like Ghosts— / Denying they have been—.” Dickinson is saying that when the snow disappears, it leaves a haunting memory on the arts like herself.

In this poem, Dickinson is describing how snow covers the land in whiteness, like a “Celestial Vail.” Dickinson relates snow and whiteness to purity and beauty; the snow fills “The Wrinkle of the Roads—,” perhaps covering the flaws and imperfection of the roads. Her descriptions of how the snow falls on the land wraps around the rails and ruffles the post are images of beauty; the snow is beautifying the scenery.