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Dan's Reviews > The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson
The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson
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Twas such a little, little boat
That toddled down the bay!
‘T was such a gallant, gallant sea
That beckoned it away!
‘T was such a greedy, greedy wave
That licked it from the coast;
Nor ever guessed the stately sails
My little craft was lost!<\b>
Or this one,
The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
“The berry’s cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.
The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I’ll put a trinket on.<\b>
Immeasurable and prolific Emily Dickinson wrote nearly 2,000 poems. Upon reading this complete collection it is remarkable the sheer amount of beautiful opening lines, certainly more than any other poet that I’ve read. Dickinson’s poems are typically very short and heavily metaphorical.
Dickinson’s great gifts are that of a consummate observer — both of nature and of her immediate environment — and her propensity to draw metaphors. Her observations in many poems deal with the theme of depression. Dickinson we know was a bit of a hermit. She also was not really much of a story teller in the usual sense since she wrote no epic length poems. But her poetry holds up well considering most were penned prior to 1850. Since Dickinson did not provide titles for most of her poems editors often name the poem after the first line. I have followed their standard here. Here are my favorites. All are in the public domain.
1. Unreturning
2. The Brain within its Groove
3. A Service of Song
4. A Day
5. Autumn
6. I’m nobody, who are you?
7. In the Garden
8. November
9. I felt a funeral in my brain
10. Dead
11. Charlotte Bronte’s Grave
12. Nobody Knows this Little Rose
13. I fear a man of frugal speech
14. I never saw a moor
15. Dear March, Come In
16. Tis easier to pity those when dead
4.5 stars.
That toddled down the bay!
‘T was such a gallant, gallant sea
That beckoned it away!
‘T was such a greedy, greedy wave
That licked it from the coast;
Nor ever guessed the stately sails
My little craft was lost!<\b>
Or this one,
The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
“The berry’s cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.
The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I’ll put a trinket on.<\b>
Immeasurable and prolific Emily Dickinson wrote nearly 2,000 poems. Upon reading this complete collection it is remarkable the sheer amount of beautiful opening lines, certainly more than any other poet that I’ve read. Dickinson’s poems are typically very short and heavily metaphorical.
Dickinson’s great gifts are that of a consummate observer — both of nature and of her immediate environment — and her propensity to draw metaphors. Her observations in many poems deal with the theme of depression. Dickinson we know was a bit of a hermit. She also was not really much of a story teller in the usual sense since she wrote no epic length poems. But her poetry holds up well considering most were penned prior to 1850. Since Dickinson did not provide titles for most of her poems editors often name the poem after the first line. I have followed their standard here. Here are my favorites. All are in the public domain.
1. Unreturning
2. The Brain within its Groove
3. A Service of Song
4. A Day
5. Autumn
6. I’m nobody, who are you?
7. In the Garden
8. November
9. I felt a funeral in my brain
10. Dead
11. Charlotte Bronte’s Grave
12. Nobody Knows this Little Rose
13. I fear a man of frugal speech
14. I never saw a moor
15. Dear March, Come In
16. Tis easier to pity those when dead
4.5 stars.
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Reading Progress
July 18, 2019
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Started Reading
July 18, 2019
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July 18, 2019
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July 28, 2019
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Jaline
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Jul 29, 2019 04:40AM
This is a truly wonderful tribute to this amazing poet! I have read poems here and there but definitely not all of them. Luckily, I have this complete set in one eBook and you have inspired me to read more of them! :)
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Thanks Jaline! She is a fast read, although one can stop and savor her poems.
