"The Power To Be True to You"The power to be true to You,

Until upon my face
The Judgment push his Picture –
Presumptuous of Your Place –

Of This — Could Man deprive Me –
Himself — the Heaven excel –
Whose invitation — Yours reduced
Until it showed too small –

Analysis/Comment

With a rhyme scheme of ABCB only in the first stanza, this poem is trying to transmit to the readers the power of honesty towards others. In fact, the speaker claims that this power from the person in front of you. This is when the other’s judgment of what you say is true takes place fully. And when this moment comes, that person (man) could doubt about the truth, although. In the end, it is God (Heaven) who decides whether something is true or not. This is why what others think about your truth counts little.

Emily Dickinson in this poem shows the difficulty of telling the truth and letting others believe. What she is trying to tell readers is that this power of truth would come slowly, and there is no need to force one self, because telling the truth is a will. And whether the other person believes you or not, would not be your responsibility. As long as one has a clean conscience, he/she can leave the rest for God to decide. Do your best (in telling the truth) and let the rest fall to its place.