The Mermaids in the Basement
Came out to look at me –
This early image is the poem's first intimation of natural mystery. The speaker is able succinctly to capture her wonder with the image of the "mermaids" rising from the depths of the ocean ("the Basement"). The fantastical aspect is immediately apparent in Dickinson's decision to include a mythical creature. She does so because it makes it clear the speaker is experiencing something unusual. This sentiment is enhanced by the phrase "came out to look at me," which both renders the speaker small and involves her in this seemingly unreal vision. In being seen by the mermaids, the speaker is not simply a passive observer. This also subtly changes the emotion of the scene. The mermaid's perception of the speaker also gives a slightly fearful tinge to an emotion that is amplified later in the poem.
But no Man moved Me –
till the Tide Went past my simple Shoe –
This is the poem's emotional turning point. While the speaker has previously indicated some nervousness at the ocean, these are the lines where the reader sees her begin to panic. She first personified the sea as a man, stating that she had never been "moved" until "the Tide Went past my simple shoe." There is a specter of harm and danger lurking behind these words. The figurative man has "moved" her without any sort of welcome. This rising tide has impressed itself upon the speaker's body without her permission. Her previous notes of concern have grown louder here as she is pulled into the water by a powerful wave.
And made as He would eat me up –
As wholly as a Dew Opon a Dandelion's Sleeve –
If the previous quote was the beginning of the speaker's shift into a more frightened tone, then this is its height. The speaker clearly sees the likely end result of this slow movement out into the water. She sees herself being devoured "as wholly as a Dew Opon a Dandelion Sleeve." This line shifts the image away from the ocean scenes that the reader has encountered thus far, while elegantly envisioning what it would be to be engulfed by the water. The smallness that she feels in this moment mirrors the way she is intimidated by the size of the water and its violent (strongly male) forcefulness. She is afraid of being absorbed by the water, unable to protect herself or escape its power.
