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Dickinson: Poems
A beautiful hardcover selection of Emily Dickinson’s best-loved, most enduring poems. AN EVERYMAN’S LIBRARY POCKET POET.
Virtually unknown as a poet in her lifetime, Emily Dickinson is now recognized as one of the most unaccountably strange and marvelous of the world’s great writers. Unique in their form, their psychic urgency, and their uncanny, crystalline power, her poems represent a mind unlike any other to be found in literature.
This Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets hardcover edition of Emily Dickinson collects the most famous and beloved of her poems, and includes an index of first lines.
Including:
• “Because I could not stop for death”
• “Tell all the Truth but tell it slant”
• “I dwell in Possibility”
• “I heard a fly buzz – when I died”
• “Forever – is composed of Nows”
• “The Fact that Earth is Heaven”
Virtually unknown as a poet in her lifetime, Emily Dickinson is now recognized as one of the most unaccountably strange and marvelous of the world’s great writers. Unique in their form, their psychic urgency, and their uncanny, crystalline power, her poems represent a mind unlike any other to be found in literature.
This Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets hardcover edition of Emily Dickinson collects the most famous and beloved of her poems, and includes an index of first lines.
Including:
• “Because I could not stop for death”
• “Tell all the Truth but tell it slant”
• “I dwell in Possibility”
• “I heard a fly buzz – when I died”
• “Forever – is composed of Nows”
• “The Fact that Earth is Heaven”
256 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1993
86 people are currently reading
1162 people want to read
About the author
Emily Dickinson
1,551 books6,826 followersEmily Dickinson was an American poet who, despite the fact that less than a dozen of her nearly eighteen hundred poems were published during her lifetime, is widely considered one of the most original and influential poets of the 19th century.
Dickinson was born to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life. After she studied at the Amherst Academy for seven years in her youth, she spent a short time at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary before returning to her family's house in Amherst. Thought of as an eccentric by the locals, she became known for her penchant for white clothing and her reluctance to greet guests or, later in life, even leave her room. Most of her friendships were therefore carried out by correspondence.
Although Dickinson was a prolific private poet, fewer than a dozen of her nearly eighteen hundred poems were published during her lifetime.The work that was published during her lifetime was usually altered significantly by the publishers to fit the conventional poetic rules of the time. Dickinson's poems are unique for the era in which she wrote; they contain short lines, typically lack titles, and often use slant rhyme as well as unconventional capitalization and punctuation.Many of her poems deal with themes of death and immortality, two recurring topics in letters to her friends.
Although most of her acquaintances were probably aware of Dickinson's writing, it was not until after her death in 1886—when Lavinia, Emily's younger sister, discovered her cache of poems—that the breadth of Dickinson's work became apparent. Her first collection of poetry was published in 1890 by personal acquaintances Thomas Wentworth Higginson and Mabel Loomis Todd, both of whom heavily edited the content.
A complete and mostly unaltered collection of her poetry became available for the first time in 1955 when The Poems of Emily Dickinson was published by scholar Thomas H. Johnson. Despite unfavorable reviews and skepticism of her literary prowess during the late 19th and early 20th century, critics now consider Dickinson to be a major American poet.
For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/emily-di...
Dickinson was born to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life. After she studied at the Amherst Academy for seven years in her youth, she spent a short time at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary before returning to her family's house in Amherst. Thought of as an eccentric by the locals, she became known for her penchant for white clothing and her reluctance to greet guests or, later in life, even leave her room. Most of her friendships were therefore carried out by correspondence.
Although Dickinson was a prolific private poet, fewer than a dozen of her nearly eighteen hundred poems were published during her lifetime.The work that was published during her lifetime was usually altered significantly by the publishers to fit the conventional poetic rules of the time. Dickinson's poems are unique for the era in which she wrote; they contain short lines, typically lack titles, and often use slant rhyme as well as unconventional capitalization and punctuation.Many of her poems deal with themes of death and immortality, two recurring topics in letters to her friends.
Although most of her acquaintances were probably aware of Dickinson's writing, it was not until after her death in 1886—when Lavinia, Emily's younger sister, discovered her cache of poems—that the breadth of Dickinson's work became apparent. Her first collection of poetry was published in 1890 by personal acquaintances Thomas Wentworth Higginson and Mabel Loomis Todd, both of whom heavily edited the content.
A complete and mostly unaltered collection of her poetry became available for the first time in 1955 when The Poems of Emily Dickinson was published by scholar Thomas H. Johnson. Despite unfavorable reviews and skepticism of her literary prowess during the late 19th and early 20th century, critics now consider Dickinson to be a major American poet.
For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/emily-di...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews
March 27, 2016
"Parting is all we know of heaven, and all we need of hell". A few good quotes but mostly mediocre. I found there to be too many poems about God and religion.
March 23, 2019
I’ve tried a few times to get into Dickinson’s poetry. I just don’t get it or connect with it at all.
August 6, 2020
"Though I than He - may longer live
He longer must - than I -
For I have but the power to kill,
Without - the power to die -"
I didn't expect to love this as much as I did, but so many of these poems resonated so well with me, and I can see myself coming back to this very often in the future. There were some poems I read three, four, even five times just to fully absorb the writing, and I would read them a thousand times more.
He longer must - than I -
For I have but the power to kill,
Without - the power to die -"
I didn't expect to love this as much as I did, but so many of these poems resonated so well with me, and I can see myself coming back to this very often in the future. There were some poems I read three, four, even five times just to fully absorb the writing, and I would read them a thousand times more.
June 5, 2022
This is the second collection of Dickinson poetry that I've read and I also adored it! ("Because I could not stop for Death" is still a fave, highly recommend reading that.)
I also underlined so many beautiful passages, phrases, sometimes whole poems- I have said it and will say it again: Emily Dickinson is my poetry queen.
I also underlined so many beautiful passages, phrases, sometimes whole poems- I have said it and will say it again: Emily Dickinson is my poetry queen.
May 3, 2017
3.5 stars
I'm pleased that I read this edition. At last, I have a bit of an understanding of Emily Dickinson's poetry. This edition has a very clear introduction, which puts her into context. It also explains a bit about why capital letters and dashes, including sometimes using a – at the end of a poem, are used by her in her poetry.
In addition to containing a variety of her poems, arranged by poem number, it also has a complete fascicle, as she called it, fascicle number 17. My favourite poem of all is number 511. You'll need to look this up if you want to see the content of it!
Extra things that I've learned are how much Dickinson admired George Eliot and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and also where various book titles used by other people have come from i.e. her poems. E.g. "Hope is the thing with feathers", adapted as Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter and "Started early took my dog"Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson.
I'm pleased that I read this edition. At last, I have a bit of an understanding of Emily Dickinson's poetry. This edition has a very clear introduction, which puts her into context. It also explains a bit about why capital letters and dashes, including sometimes using a – at the end of a poem, are used by her in her poetry.
In addition to containing a variety of her poems, arranged by poem number, it also has a complete fascicle, as she called it, fascicle number 17. My favourite poem of all is number 511. You'll need to look this up if you want to see the content of it!
Extra things that I've learned are how much Dickinson admired George Eliot and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and also where various book titles used by other people have come from i.e. her poems. E.g. "Hope is the thing with feathers", adapted as Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter and "Started early took my dog"Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson.
June 19, 2023
Dickinson is now my favourite poet behind Millay. My favourites are as follows:
(The Poems of Art)
“The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind”
“A word is dead
When it is said,
Some say.
I say it just
Begins to live
That day.”
“Speech is one symptom of Affection
And Silence one -
The perfectest communication
Is heard of none -
Exists and its indorsement
Is had within -
Behold, said the Apostle,
Yet had not seen!”
“To tell the Beauty would decrease”
“Surgeons must be very careful
When they take the knife!
Underneath their fine incisions
Stirs the Culprit - Life!”
“Me from Myself — to banish —
Had I Art —
Impregnable my Fortress
Unto All Heart —
But since Myself — assault Me —
How have I peace
Except by subjugating
Consciousness?
And since We're mutual Monarch
How this be
Except by Abdication —
Me — of Me?”
(The Works of Love)
“There is a solitude of space
A solitude of sea
A solitude of death, but these Society shall be
Compared with that profounder site
That polar privacy
A soul admitted to itself —
Finite infinity.”
“How lonesome the Wind must feel Nights - When people have put out the Lights And everything that has an Inn Closes the shutter and goes in —
How pompous the Wind must feel Noons
Stepping to incorporeal Tunes
Correcting errors of the sky
And clarifying scenery
How mighty the Wind must feel Morns
Encamping on a thousand dawns
Espousing each and spurning all Then soaring to his Temple Tall —“
“I had no time to Hate - Because
The Grave would hinder Me -
And Life was not so
Ample I
Could finish - Enmity -
Nor had I time to Love -
But since
Some Industry must be - The little Toil of Love - I thought
Be large enough for Me -“
“You left me - Sire - two Legacies - A Legacy of Love
A Heavenly Father would suffice
Had He the offer of —
You left me Boundaries of Pain —
Capacious as the Sea - Between Eternity and Time —
Your Consciousness - and Me —“
(Death and Resurrection)
“A throe upon the features:
A hurry in the breath — An ecstasy of parting
Denominated "Death" —
An anguish at the mention
Which when to patience grown, I've known permission given To rejoin its own.”
“Death is a Dialogue between a orit ai disod
The Spirit and the Dust.
"Dissolve" says Death — The Spirit says “Sir
I have another Trust" —
Death doubts it - Argues from the Ground - The Spirit turns away
Just laying off for evidence
An Overcoat of Clay.”
“Because that you are going
And never coming back
And I, however absolute,
May overlook your Track —
Because that Death is final,
However first it be,
This instant be suspended
Above Mortality —
Significance that each has lived
The other to detect
Discovery not God himself
Could now annihilate
Eternity, Presumption
The instant I perceive
That you, who were Existence
Yourself forgot to live —
The "Life that is" will then have been
A thing I never knew —“
As Paradise fictitious
Until the Realm of you —“
(The Poems of Art)
“The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind”
“A word is dead
When it is said,
Some say.
I say it just
Begins to live
That day.”
“Speech is one symptom of Affection
And Silence one -
The perfectest communication
Is heard of none -
Exists and its indorsement
Is had within -
Behold, said the Apostle,
Yet had not seen!”
“To tell the Beauty would decrease”
“Surgeons must be very careful
When they take the knife!
Underneath their fine incisions
Stirs the Culprit - Life!”
“Me from Myself — to banish —
Had I Art —
Impregnable my Fortress
Unto All Heart —
But since Myself — assault Me —
How have I peace
Except by subjugating
Consciousness?
And since We're mutual Monarch
How this be
Except by Abdication —
Me — of Me?”
(The Works of Love)
“There is a solitude of space
A solitude of sea
A solitude of death, but these Society shall be
Compared with that profounder site
That polar privacy
A soul admitted to itself —
Finite infinity.”
“How lonesome the Wind must feel Nights - When people have put out the Lights And everything that has an Inn Closes the shutter and goes in —
How pompous the Wind must feel Noons
Stepping to incorporeal Tunes
Correcting errors of the sky
And clarifying scenery
How mighty the Wind must feel Morns
Encamping on a thousand dawns
Espousing each and spurning all Then soaring to his Temple Tall —“
“I had no time to Hate - Because
The Grave would hinder Me -
And Life was not so
Ample I
Could finish - Enmity -
Nor had I time to Love -
But since
Some Industry must be - The little Toil of Love - I thought
Be large enough for Me -“
“You left me - Sire - two Legacies - A Legacy of Love
A Heavenly Father would suffice
Had He the offer of —
You left me Boundaries of Pain —
Capacious as the Sea - Between Eternity and Time —
Your Consciousness - and Me —“
(Death and Resurrection)
“A throe upon the features:
A hurry in the breath — An ecstasy of parting
Denominated "Death" —
An anguish at the mention
Which when to patience grown, I've known permission given To rejoin its own.”
“Death is a Dialogue between a orit ai disod
The Spirit and the Dust.
"Dissolve" says Death — The Spirit says “Sir
I have another Trust" —
Death doubts it - Argues from the Ground - The Spirit turns away
Just laying off for evidence
An Overcoat of Clay.”
“Because that you are going
And never coming back
And I, however absolute,
May overlook your Track —
Because that Death is final,
However first it be,
This instant be suspended
Above Mortality —
Significance that each has lived
The other to detect
Discovery not God himself
Could now annihilate
Eternity, Presumption
The instant I perceive
That you, who were Existence
Yourself forgot to live —
The "Life that is" will then have been
A thing I never knew —“
As Paradise fictitious
Until the Realm of you —“
July 23, 2021
Emily Dickinson said 'Did I stutter when I said the Bible sucks, society is a bog, I'm a genius, women deserve more than just marriage and I'm really, really, really fascinated with death, immortality and eternity?'
Of the 141 poems in this edition, I particularly enjoyed 40 of them, my favourites being 'Success is counted sweetest', 'Why do they shut me out of heaven', 'I cannot live with You', 'Behind Me - dips Eternity', 'My Life had stood - a Loaded Gun', 'The Whole of it came not at once', 'Because I could not stop for Death' and 'I stepped from Plank to Plank'.
Although Miss Dickinson did say 'But reduce no Human Spirit / to Disgrace of Price', I think she'd be happy to hear I gave this collection 4 stars (though I will say I wonder which of these poems she would have chosen to publish herself if she had curated her own collection).
Of the 141 poems in this edition, I particularly enjoyed 40 of them, my favourites being 'Success is counted sweetest', 'Why do they shut me out of heaven', 'I cannot live with You', 'Behind Me - dips Eternity', 'My Life had stood - a Loaded Gun', 'The Whole of it came not at once', 'Because I could not stop for Death' and 'I stepped from Plank to Plank'.
Although Miss Dickinson did say 'But reduce no Human Spirit / to Disgrace of Price', I think she'd be happy to hear I gave this collection 4 stars (though I will say I wonder which of these poems she would have chosen to publish herself if she had curated her own collection).
February 24, 2020
I find poetry so hard to rate as it is very much personal taste. I don’t read a lot of poetry but the fact that I bought this edition and have previously owned a poetry book by Emily Dickinson speaks volumes.
I first discovered Emily Dickinson in high school and instantly feel in love with the poem Because I could not stop for death - He kindly stopped for me. 27 years later and it still one of my favourite poems.
I first discovered Emily Dickinson in high school and instantly feel in love with the poem Because I could not stop for death - He kindly stopped for me. 27 years later and it still one of my favourite poems.
July 24, 2018
Increíble.
Nadie había podido retratar mejor el sentimiento de muerte y angustia que Dickinson.
Nadie había podido retratar mejor el sentimiento de muerte y angustia que Dickinson.
July 30, 2022
2.5 stars, a pleasant read
March 14, 2025
To Dickinson's poetry chops: 5 stars. I cannot presume to critique the master.
The poems chosen for this collection specifically: I found it challenging, uneven, and often lacking context.
However, this is the first time I read a classic poetry collection in its entirety and actually understood like 99% of what is being communicated. So I am rather impressed with myself. It took the better part of two months, and it took close and deliberate reading and rereading and annotating, but here we are on the other side where I feel a little less intimidated by poetry. (But a lot more intimidated—in complete reverent awe even—by Emily Dickinson.)
The poems chosen for this collection specifically: I found it challenging, uneven, and often lacking context.
However, this is the first time I read a classic poetry collection in its entirety and actually understood like 99% of what is being communicated. So I am rather impressed with myself. It took the better part of two months, and it took close and deliberate reading and rereading and annotating, but here we are on the other side where I feel a little less intimidated by poetry. (But a lot more intimidated—in complete reverent awe even—by Emily Dickinson.)
June 19, 2024
That Amherst girl — has things to say —
Like ‘I love Sue’ — and — ‘I am gay’ —
And ‘there’s a bee’ and ‘there goes death’
And — Immortality — a present breath.
Nah but she does spit bars like in the TV show. Shoutout Hailee Steinfeld.
Like ‘I love Sue’ — and — ‘I am gay’ —
And ‘there’s a bee’ and ‘there goes death’
And — Immortality — a present breath.
Nah but she does spit bars like in the TV show. Shoutout Hailee Steinfeld.
December 29, 2022
"She dealt her pretty words like Blades"
Read
November 13, 2018 I used to feel a deep connection with Dickinson’s work, but unfortunately I don’t any longer. Other than 1 or 2 poems, I found these to be very dull and obtuse. I’m not giving a star rating because I don’t feel like I’m the right person to critique Dickinson’s work. I’m sure it holds value for others, but I can’t say the same for myself.
Read
June 9, 2021I don’t typically read poetry collections straight through, as I prefer to focus on one poem at a time so I can really sit with it. However, this was a really interesting way to approach poetry with an emphasis more on the poet rather than on a single poem. I’ll definitely be trying this more holistic approach again with other poetry collections!
November 12, 2018
So good to read poetry that is beautiful and has something to say.
April 28, 2019
Today I learned something new: I do not care for Emily Dickinson and her slant rhymes.
August 17, 2021
a book I can see myself going back to every time it rains. Emily Dickinson is officially my favourite poet of all time! 💛
May 2, 2023
olen oma elus lugenud mitut raamatut, kust on jäänud mulje, et ma peaksin lugema Emily Dickinsoni luulet. aga... vist ei pidanud. või pidin selleks, et saada teada, et Dickinsoniga on sama lugu, mis paljude teiste kuulsate luuletajatega - kohtad neilt mingeid suurimaid hitte, need meeldivad ja tundub, et peaks veel lugema, aga siis selgub, et suurimad hitid olid asja pärast hitid ja teised asja pärast... ei olnud.
nii et siitki raamatust jäid mulle meelde ja avaldasid mingit muljet ainult need tekstid, mida ennegi kohanud olin. "Hope is a thing with feathers" ja "Because I could not stop for Death" ja mõned sellised veel. (kusjuures kõige kuulsamat, "That Love is all there is, is all we know of Love" siin kogus ei olnudki!) ülejäänu oli kuidagi selline... tasapaks :( vb kõnetaks rohkem, kui loeks tõlkes, sest ma olen viimasel ajal aru saanud, et ma ikka lihtsalt ei suudagi ingliskeelset luule väga jälgida.
lisaks on siin kogus avaldatud Dickinsoni tekstid nii, nagu ta neid ise kirjutas - tohutu hulk suurtähti ja mõttekriipse - ja see ka lugemist lihtsamaks ei tee mu jaoks. need standardiseeritud versioonid, mida mujal kohanud olen, on olnud loetavamad, nii et selles vaidluses vist asun toimetajate, mitte autori poolele (eessõnast lugesin, et teda kohe alguses kiputi ses osas palju toimetama ja see oli talle väga vastukarva ja spst ta vist ei avaldanudki eluajal suuremat).
aga absoluutselt ja igal juhul oli see raamat lugemist väärt eessõna pärast, mis oli pikk ja põhjalik ja seletas ära palju nii Dickinsoni elu kui luule osas.
kõik see viis mind hoopis internetti otsima, kas Gabrielle Zevini raamatus "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" kirjeldatud arvutimäng "Emily Blaster" on päriselt ka olemas. sest just sellest raamatust ma viimati Dickinsoni lugemise inspiratsiooni sain. ja, hahaa, on olemas - just Zevini raamatu järgi (ja vist promomiseks) tehtud. nii et veetsin meeleoluka tunni hoopis seda mängides ja keskendusin selle käigus Emily luulele oluliselt rohkem kui luulet ennast lugedes.
nii et siitki raamatust jäid mulle meelde ja avaldasid mingit muljet ainult need tekstid, mida ennegi kohanud olin. "Hope is a thing with feathers" ja "Because I could not stop for Death" ja mõned sellised veel. (kusjuures kõige kuulsamat, "That Love is all there is, is all we know of Love" siin kogus ei olnudki!) ülejäänu oli kuidagi selline... tasapaks :( vb kõnetaks rohkem, kui loeks tõlkes, sest ma olen viimasel ajal aru saanud, et ma ikka lihtsalt ei suudagi ingliskeelset luule väga jälgida.
lisaks on siin kogus avaldatud Dickinsoni tekstid nii, nagu ta neid ise kirjutas - tohutu hulk suurtähti ja mõttekriipse - ja see ka lugemist lihtsamaks ei tee mu jaoks. need standardiseeritud versioonid, mida mujal kohanud olen, on olnud loetavamad, nii et selles vaidluses vist asun toimetajate, mitte autori poolele (eessõnast lugesin, et teda kohe alguses kiputi ses osas palju toimetama ja see oli talle väga vastukarva ja spst ta vist ei avaldanudki eluajal suuremat).
aga absoluutselt ja igal juhul oli see raamat lugemist väärt eessõna pärast, mis oli pikk ja põhjalik ja seletas ära palju nii Dickinsoni elu kui luule osas.
kõik see viis mind hoopis internetti otsima, kas Gabrielle Zevini raamatus "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" kirjeldatud arvutimäng "Emily Blaster" on päriselt ka olemas. sest just sellest raamatust ma viimati Dickinsoni lugemise inspiratsiooni sain. ja, hahaa, on olemas - just Zevini raamatu järgi (ja vist promomiseks) tehtud. nii et veetsin meeleoluka tunni hoopis seda mängides ja keskendusin selle käigus Emily luulele oluliselt rohkem kui luulet ennast lugedes.
October 21, 2022
Wow, I am so well read.
At least that's how I felt reading through Emily Dickinson's collection of poetry cultivated over her brief life. She wrote mostly on death and life, on God and her relationship with religion, and on her supposed romances with men and women. There were some great lines in here, most famous like the following:
Because I could not stop for Death–
He kindly stopped for me
Obviously, Dickinson was a pioneer of poetry, and her form is so unique. However, I didn't really connect with much of her work. I'm not sure if it's because she spoke a lot about God, which I honestly didn't mind at all, but just it's not something I can relate to personally.
Still a good read, however, and beneficial in my journey of embracing poetry and challenging my tastes. 3/5 stars.
At least that's how I felt reading through Emily Dickinson's collection of poetry cultivated over her brief life. She wrote mostly on death and life, on God and her relationship with religion, and on her supposed romances with men and women. There were some great lines in here, most famous like the following:
Because I could not stop for Death–
He kindly stopped for me
Obviously, Dickinson was a pioneer of poetry, and her form is so unique. However, I didn't really connect with much of her work. I'm not sure if it's because she spoke a lot about God, which I honestly didn't mind at all, but just it's not something I can relate to personally.
Still a good read, however, and beneficial in my journey of embracing poetry and challenging my tastes. 3/5 stars.
December 13, 2024
She’s my jam, I love the simple rhythms & anastrophes. Consummately brisk & readable while also feeling worthy of more savory re-reading & analysis. There is a bit of a lull in this collection in regard to profundity, at least from my perspective, but those selections remain light & charming.
December 7, 2023
Ik denk dat dit vooral het moment is om te accepteren dat poëzie niet helemaal voor mij is.
February 8, 2024
Quite nice. Short which is good. Seemed to deal with mortality a lot.
March 15, 2022
technically i’m not finished cause you can never finish a poetry book until you’ve understood every poem thoroughly but
March 22, 2013
EMILY DICKINSON
(10/12/1830 - 15/05/1886)
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson can best be described as a prolific poet who in later life prefered the solitude of being indoors and interacted mainly through letters to her friends. I read that in her life she had written over1800 poems but only a selected few were published while she was still alive, the remainder after her death.
She was inspired throughout her life by other writers and I am in love with her poetry.
In this small pocket version of selected poetry by Emily Dickinson it makes for a great read as the poems are organised into 3 thematic sections:
. . . THE POETS ART
. . . THE WORKS OF LOVE
. . . DEATH AND RESURRECTION
I love how it is organised!!
My favourite poem by Emily is called: Love is inferior to life -
LOVE IS INFERIOR TO LIFE
POSTERIOR TO DEATH
INITIAL OF CREATION
AND THE EXPONENT OF BREATH.
Which is from: The Complete Poems (1924)
Her poetry makes for a wonderful read, I particularily love her poems of romanticism because i'm a hopeless romantic and her poetry to me is as fine as that of Emily Bronte, they write with passion and emotion. Many of their greatest poems were never intended to be published, they were simply written by desire. . . That is just my opinion of course.
I have given this book five stars because it is one of my favourite collections of poetry.
Happy Reading!
Emma
xXx
(10/12/1830 - 15/05/1886)
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson can best be described as a prolific poet who in later life prefered the solitude of being indoors and interacted mainly through letters to her friends. I read that in her life she had written over1800 poems but only a selected few were published while she was still alive, the remainder after her death.
She was inspired throughout her life by other writers and I am in love with her poetry.
In this small pocket version of selected poetry by Emily Dickinson it makes for a great read as the poems are organised into 3 thematic sections:
. . . THE POETS ART
. . . THE WORKS OF LOVE
. . . DEATH AND RESURRECTION
I love how it is organised!!
My favourite poem by Emily is called: Love is inferior to life -
LOVE IS INFERIOR TO LIFE
POSTERIOR TO DEATH
INITIAL OF CREATION
AND THE EXPONENT OF BREATH.
Which is from: The Complete Poems (1924)
Her poetry makes for a wonderful read, I particularily love her poems of romanticism because i'm a hopeless romantic and her poetry to me is as fine as that of Emily Bronte, they write with passion and emotion. Many of their greatest poems were never intended to be published, they were simply written by desire. . . That is just my opinion of course.
I have given this book five stars because it is one of my favourite collections of poetry.
Happy Reading!
Emma
xXx
Read
August 20, 2013The title "Everyman's Poetry" is right! The selected poems are somewhat like proverbs, applicable to whatever life circumstance any person could encounter. In that way, it brought to mind Thoreau's "On Man and Nature" which is also a worthwhile read. I won't go into any specifics with her actual poems, that's up to the interpretation of future readers. I do have a couple thoughts on broader topics:
As for form, Dickinson's use of tetrameter could be viewed as less than novel. However, a simple form can also force the content to its fullest potential. A writer would have to take the greatest care to detail, choose the words even more wisely--Make the letters interesting to the highest degree.
I appreciated how there were more obscure poems, and not just a re-publishing of her popular ones. Although they are good- popular for a reason- but so often the widely undiscovered material is often the most provocative.
*edit* Oh and also I've always liked how Dickinson numbers her poems in lieu of titles. Titles can add a creative aspect, but often I've found they can also take away from the actual poem. If readers are wondering what the title means, or if the title is too obvious.. then the focus on the poem is displaced.
As for form, Dickinson's use of tetrameter could be viewed as less than novel. However, a simple form can also force the content to its fullest potential. A writer would have to take the greatest care to detail, choose the words even more wisely--Make the letters interesting to the highest degree.
I appreciated how there were more obscure poems, and not just a re-publishing of her popular ones. Although they are good- popular for a reason- but so often the widely undiscovered material is often the most provocative.
*edit* Oh and also I've always liked how Dickinson numbers her poems in lieu of titles. Titles can add a creative aspect, but often I've found they can also take away from the actual poem. If readers are wondering what the title means, or if the title is too obvious.. then the focus on the poem is displaced.
July 28, 2020
”Surgeons must be very careful
When they take the knife!
Underneath their fine incisions
Stirs the Culprit - Life!”
Por fin he logrado terminar uno de los tres libros que inicié en abril. Entré en un mega bloque y la cuarentena no está ayudando mucho, a pesar de tener mucho tiempo libre, no me concentro en hacer una sola cosa y me está afectando en mis lecturas. Espero que haber terminado este poemario sea el inicio de mi reincorporación lectora 😝.
En fin, no soy mucho de leer poemarios porque, como ya he dicho antes, siento que no sé cómo leerlos, sin embargo, tenía muchas ganas de leer a Dickinson y por eso me animé. He de confesar que si me confundí un poco porque está escrito en una época donde el inglés tenía sus diferencias y yo no lograba conectar al significado de algunas de sus palabras.
Sin embargo lo poco que pude comprender y en muchos de sus poemas, me parecieron palabras maravillosas, me transmitía un sentimiento real y había momentos en los que pensaba: por dios, I feel like that, y era increíble.
Me llama mucho la historia de esta gran escritora y espero pronto leer una biografía de ella, no me arrepiento de haber leído este poemario, pero si del tiempo que me tomó hacerlo.
When they take the knife!
Underneath their fine incisions
Stirs the Culprit - Life!”
Por fin he logrado terminar uno de los tres libros que inicié en abril. Entré en un mega bloque y la cuarentena no está ayudando mucho, a pesar de tener mucho tiempo libre, no me concentro en hacer una sola cosa y me está afectando en mis lecturas. Espero que haber terminado este poemario sea el inicio de mi reincorporación lectora 😝.
En fin, no soy mucho de leer poemarios porque, como ya he dicho antes, siento que no sé cómo leerlos, sin embargo, tenía muchas ganas de leer a Dickinson y por eso me animé. He de confesar que si me confundí un poco porque está escrito en una época donde el inglés tenía sus diferencias y yo no lograba conectar al significado de algunas de sus palabras.
Sin embargo lo poco que pude comprender y en muchos de sus poemas, me parecieron palabras maravillosas, me transmitía un sentimiento real y había momentos en los que pensaba: por dios, I feel like that, y era increíble.
Me llama mucho la historia de esta gran escritora y espero pronto leer una biografía de ella, no me arrepiento de haber leído este poemario, pero si del tiempo que me tomó hacerlo.
August 26, 2020
"Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.
We slowly drove – He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility –
We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess – in the Ring –
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –
We passed the Setting Sun –
Or rather – He passed us –
The Dews drew quivering and chill –
For only Gossamer, my Gown –
My Tippet – only Tulle –
We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground –
The Roof was scarcely visible –
The Cornice – in the Ground –
Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity – "
He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.
We slowly drove – He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility –
We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess – in the Ring –
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –
We passed the Setting Sun –
Or rather – He passed us –
The Dews drew quivering and chill –
For only Gossamer, my Gown –
My Tippet – only Tulle –
We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground –
The Roof was scarcely visible –
The Cornice – in the Ground –
Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity – "
May 14, 2021
I love #138 and #203. Her poems read almost like a meditation, take you away from your day and into the reclusive world of faith, gardens and solitude that made up Emily’s strange life. It’s a glimpse into the quiet tragedies and miracles that made up her existence. A good read to precede or follow Madwoman in the Attic by Gilbert snd Gubar (1979) which treat Dickinson’s poetry and contributions to Victorian literature in an interesting way. I’ve waited to read Dickinson’s works, to really get into it, and had the chance to read it while sitting in my family farmhouse, rocking my great-grandmother’s rocking chair, the garden abuzz with insects, birds spring flowers. It was a nice break from a busy schedule, and a nice way to unplug during lockdown.
October 8, 2021
emily. dickinson.
i mean she's already known as such an iconic poet, so i thought i would see where her poetry could take me - and wow was i amazed. while reading i remember thinking, and then noting down, "emily dickinson's poetry is a love letter to: nature; poets; death." i still stand by this. the poems were executed in such a lovely form and really gave an insight on her views of really anything she wanted to discuss. i like how emily was always addressing immortality in her and eternity in her poems, and now many years later, she's somewhat immortal through her bodies of work. such a pretty edition too! (fav poem is on page 45-46).
i mean she's already known as such an iconic poet, so i thought i would see where her poetry could take me - and wow was i amazed. while reading i remember thinking, and then noting down, "emily dickinson's poetry is a love letter to: nature; poets; death." i still stand by this. the poems were executed in such a lovely form and really gave an insight on her views of really anything she wanted to discuss. i like how emily was always addressing immortality in her and eternity in her poems, and now many years later, she's somewhat immortal through her bodies of work. such a pretty edition too! (fav poem is on page 45-46).
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