I started early - took my dog

The sea, specificallt mermaids, are a symbol of natural wonder. The sea hides mystery and mermaids personify this. Beautiful and mythic, these creatures create an immediate change in the poem. By incorporating them, Dickinson makes the material overtly fantastical. The mermaids immediately register to the speaker as something that inspires awe and a certain degree of human smallness. They are also a subtle indicator of the change the text will undergo. The mermaids appear to offer an initial welcome, but something more sinister awaits the speaker further into the water. This scenario is not unlike the apocryphal fate of many sailors lured to their deaths by the false sight of mermaids.