We paused before a house that seemed
Swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice but a mound
These lines are from the poem "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson. In this stanza, the speaker and Death have stopped in front of a house that appears to be swelling off the ground.
The description of the house as a "swelling of the ground" suggests that it has become a part of the earth, perhaps implying that it has been abandoned or forgotten.
The house is described as having a barely visible roof and a cornice that is only a mound, suggesting that it is in a state of disrepair or decay. This image of a neglected and forgotten house serves as a metaphor for the passing of time and the inevitability of mortality.
The poem as a whole explores the speaker's acceptance of death as a natural and inevitable part of the human experience, and this image reinforces the idea that everything must eventually return to the earth.
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