15+ Must-Read Emily Dickinson Poems

(15 to start, 100+ to explore)

During her lifetime, Dickinson wrote hundreds of poems and chose, for a variety of reasons, to only have around ten published. After her death, her sister Lavinia discovered a collection of almost 1800 poems amongst her possessions. The volume, Complete Poems was published in 1955. Dickinson is now one of the most popular poets of all time and is credited with writing some of the most skillful and beautiful poems the English language has ever seen.

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Because I could not stop for Death

‘Because I could not stop for death,’ Dickinson’s best-known poem, is a depiction of one speaker’s journey into the afterlife with personified “Death” leading the way.

'Because I could not stop for Death’ is undoubtedly one of Dickinson’s most famous poems. It is common within her works to find death used as a metaphor or symbol, but this piece far outranks the rest. “Death” appears as a real being. He takes the speaker by the hand a guides her on a carriage ride into the afterlife. There is a simplicity to the lines which puts the reader at ease. Any fear associated with the afterlife is far from one’s mind. Instead, a reader is treated to images of the “Setting Sun” and children at play. It is generally considered to be one of the greatest poems in the English language.

Because I could not stop for Death –

He kindly stopped for me –

The Carriage held but just Ourselves –

And Immortality.

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Hope is the Thing with Feathers

‘Hope is the Thing with Feathers’ by Emily Dickinson is a poem about hope. It is depicted through the famous metaphor of a bird.

This is perhaps Emily Dickinson’s best-known, and most loved poem. It is much lighter than the majority of her works and focuses on the personification of hope. It is a bird that perches inside her soul and sings. The bird asks for nothing. It is at peace, and is, therefore, able to impart the same hope and peace to the speaker. She can depend on it, and take pleasure from it. The text is also prime example of the way that Dickinson used nature as a metaphor for the most complicated of human emotions.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -

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I felt a Funeral, in my Brain

‘I felt a Funeral, in my Brain’ by Emily Dickinson is a popular poem. In it, she depicts a very unusual idea of life after death.

Emily Dickinson wrote prolifically on her own struggles with mental health and no piece is better known than this one in that wider discussion of her work. Within the text she uses various metaphors, concerned with life and death, to discuss endings, beginnings and the deep, unshakable fear of losing one’s mind. The speaker depicts the slipping away of her sanity through the image of mourners wandering around in her head. They are in a cycle of sorts, unable to break out or change their pattern.

I felt a Funeral, in my Brain,

And Mourners to and fro

Kept treading - treading - till it seemed

That Sense was breaking through -

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The Heart asks Pleasure – first

‘The heart asks pleasure first’ by Emily Dickinson depicts the needs of the heart. They are highly changeable and include pleasure and excuse from pain.

Within this poem Dickinson touches on death and depicts it as something that is in the end, desirable. The speaker moves through the things that a human being wants most in their life. The first is an active pleasure. But for some, this is impossible. Next on her list is an escape from pain. If life could progress without trauma, that would be enough. Lastly, there are sleep and death. It is better to die, the speaker implies than to live a life of suffering, devoid of pleasure or peace.

The Heart asks Pleasure—first—

And then—Excuse from Pain—

And then—those little Anodynes

That deaden suffering—

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I died for beauty but was scarce

‘I died for beauty but was scarce’ by Emily Dickinson reflects her fascination for death and the possible life to follow.

Published in 1890, this moving poem is one of Emily Dickinson's best. This is particularly true when it comes to poems about death and the meaning of life. It features two mysterious speakers who are discussing their different ideologies in the afterlife. One of the two died for beauty, and the other died for truth. In the end, Dickinson concludes, why one died doesn't matter. Death itself is far more important.

I died for Beauty - but was scarce

Adjusted in the Tomb

When One who died for Truth, was lain

In an adjoining Room -

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As Imperceptibly as Grief

‘As imperceptibly as grief’ by Emily Dickinson analyzes grief. The poet compares it to the passing away of the summer.

'As imperceptibly as Grief' undoubtedly ranks among Emily Dickinson's finest ever poems and demonstrates some of her most enduring artistic preoccupations. Her interest in death and loss, only strengthened by the fact she lived in view of a cemetery, permeates the poem as it does with much of her work. Likewise, the comparison to the natural passage of the seasons is in keeping with her keen eye for detail in the natural world and her ability to find parallels between it and human behaviour.

As imperceptibly as Grief

The Summer lapsed away—

Too imperceptible at last

To seem like Perfidy—

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I heard a Fly buzz – when I died

‘I heard a Fly Buzz – when I died’ by Emily Dickinson is an unforgettable depiction of the moments before death. The speaker emphasizes the stillness of the room and the movements of a single fly.

In this striking and popular poem, Dickinson's narrator is on their deathbed, not yet embarking on their own ride with “Death.” Everyone is gathered around this dying person, trying to comfort them, but also waiting for the “King.” In amongst all the grandeur of the moment, there is a small fly. This is how Dickinson chose to personify death in ‘I heard a Fly buzz – when I died.’ It moves between the speaker and the light in the room and that is the end.

I heard a Fly buzz - when I died -

The Stillness in the Room

Was like the Stillness in the Air -

Between the Heaves of Storm -

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Tell all the truth but tell it slant

‘Tell the truth but tell it slant’ by Emily Dickinson is one of Dickinson’s best-loved poems. It explores an unknown “truth” that readers must interpret in their own way.

The title outlines the major themes of this playful and beautiful poem. The poet writes that one should tell the truth, but not straightforwardly. This is associated with Dickinson’s own writing practice and her fondness for similes and metaphors. Slightly complicating a truth will make it more interesting to a reader or listener. If one has to look a little harder, then in the end the reward will be greater when the truth is made clear.

Tell all the truth but tell it slant —

Success in Circuit lies

Too bright for our infirm Delight

The Truth's superb surprise

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My Life had stood – a Loaded Gun

‘My Life had stood – a Loaded Gun’ by Emily Dickinson is a complex, metaphorical poem. The poet depicts a woman who is under a man’s control and sleeps like a load gun.

The gun is a powerful and moving image in this poem that has made the text one of Dickinson's most commonly studied. The gun, and later Mount Vesuvius, represent the anger that builds up inside one’s mind and heart until it can be contained no longer. The problem with letting it out is that it can never be captured again. It is loose in the world, wreaking havoc. She implies in the text that the gun can kill but cannot be killed. The metaphorical shooter of the gun is not in control of their anger if they give in.

My Life had stood - a Loaded Gun -

In Corners - till a Day

The Owner passed - identified -

And carried Me away -

#10

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A Bird, came down the Walk

‘A Bird, came down the Walk’ by Emily Dickinson is a beautiful nature poem. It focuses on the actions of a bird going about its everyday life.

This piece is slightly more straightforward than some of Emily Dickinson’s more complicated verses. She makes use of natural images, triggering the senses, as she speaks on a bird and its eyes and “Velvet Head.” The poem chronicles the simple life of a bird as it moves from grass to bugs and from fear to peace. Dickinson also makes use of original words such as “plashless.” A feature that alludes to her well-known love of words and the power of meter.

A Bird, came down the Walk -

He did not know I saw -

He bit an Angle Worm in halves

And ate the fellow, raw,

#11

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I’m Nobody! Who are you?

Dickinson’s ‘I’m Nobody! Who are you?’ celebrates the nobodies of society while criticizing the mainstream and mocking the somebodies.

This poem is among Dickinson's most famous, embodying her characteristic poetic style, which includes stanzas divided into quatrains, short lines, an unusual use of punctuation, especially commas, dashes, and capitalization, and a subtle, playful use of irony with a sarcastic edge. While rejecting a dominant societal standard and asserting nonconformity, solitude, and privacy, it structurally and ideologically echoes her other poems, such as 'The Soul selects her own Society.' The values celebrated align with Dickinson's personal preference for a reclusive lifestyle, as she valued her seclusion and interacted only with a few friends. Thus, the poem asserts Dickinson's pride in her chosen life while mocking those who seek attention to be 'somebody.'

I'm Nobody! Who are you?

Are you – Nobody – too? T

hen there's a pair of us!

Don't tell! they'd advertise – you know!

#12

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I have never seen “Volcanoes”

‘I have never seen “Volcanoes”’ by Emily Dickinson is a clever, complex poem that compares humans and their emotions to a volcano’s eruptive power.

The poem is one of several of Dickinson's that draw upon the imagery of erupting volcanoes to convey ideas about the human experience.

I have never seen "Volcanoes"—

But, when Travellers tell

How those old – phlegmatic mountains

Usually so still –

#13

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Wild nights – Wild nights!

‘Wild nights – Wild nights!’ by Emily Dickinson is a multi-faceted poem. It explores an ambiguous relationship that could be religious or sexual.

In this poem the reigning image is that of the sea. It is skillfully used as a metaphor to depict passion and desire. This poem is often displaced from the minds of those who consider Dickinson’s life. It speaks to powerful love and lust and is at odds with the common image of the poet as a virginal recluse who never knew true love. The details of her life suggest otherwise as does this text, to some readers anyway. There is an alternative interpretation of ‘Wild nights – Wild nights!’ though. There are those who believe that Dickinson was speaking about her passion for God, another common theme in her works, rather than sexual love.

Wild nights - Wild nights!

Were I with thee

Wild nights should be

Our luxury!

#14

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I had been hungry, all the Years

‘I had been hungry, all the Years’ by Emily Dickinson comes to the ironic realization that a fulfilled desire can be disappointing and anticlimactic rather than satisfying.

In this poem, Dickinson's talent for novel arrangements of diction, syntax, and imagery allows her to explore the ironic hold desire has on one's life. Her ability to articulate such universal emotions, reimagining them in fragmented but precise impressions, prevents any line of her verse from ever feeling cliche or tritely esoteric. The result is a characteristically devastating epiphany about hunger as a metaphor for the human compulsion to satisfy personal wants and needs.

I had been hungry, all the Years—

My Noon had Come—to dine—

I trembling drew the Table near—

And touched the Curious Wine—

#15

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The Soul selects her own Society

Dickinson’s ‘The Soul selects her own Society’ depicts a Soul that isolates herself and selectively chooses one companion.

This poem is a significant work within Dickinson's oeuvre, mirroring her reclusive lifestyle. Its celebration of the Soul's selective affinity resonates with Dickinson's resolute isolation and withdrawal from society. It exemplifies Dickinson's preoccupation with isolation and privacy, celebrating solitude and personal choice, found in her other poems like 'I'm Nobody! Who are you?' Both poems reflect her preference for intimate connections and solitude over public life, emphasizing how she valued personal space and inner life.

The Soul selects her own Society —

Then — shuts the Door —

To her divine Majority —

Present no more —

FAQs about Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson was an American poet who lived from 1830 to 1886. She is known for her unique writing style and her exploration of themes such as death, nature, and the self.

Emily Dickinson wrote hundreds of poems during her lifetime. However, she chose to have only around ten of them published for various reasons. Despite this, after her death, her sister Lavinia discovered a collection of almost 1800 poems among her possessions.

After Emily Dickinson's death, her sister Lavinia discovered a collection of almost 1800 poems among her possessions. These unpublished poems were carefully preserved and became a significant part of Dickinson's literary legacy. Lavinia, recognizing the value and importance of her sister's work, worked tirelessly to ensure its publication. With the help of friends and allies, she successfully edited and arranged the poems for publication, allowing the world to finally recognize Emily Dickinson's brilliance as a poet.

After Emily Dickinson's death in 1886, her sister Lavinia discovered a collection of almost 1800 poems among her belongings. Lavinia was responsible for handling Dickinson's papers and personal effects. She came across a locked chest containing the extensive collection of poems, which were written on various scraps of paper, envelopes, and even the backs of recipes.

Lavinia recognized the extraordinary value of her sister's poetry and dedicated herself to preserving and organizing the collection. She worked diligently to transcribe the poems into proper manuscripts and sought to have them published. With Lavinia's efforts, Dickinson's work eventually gained recognition and acclaim, solidifying her reputation as one of America's most significant and influential poets.

Emily Dickinson's poetry holds great significance in the literary world. Her unique writing style, use of language, and deep exploration of themes such as love, nature, and mortality have earned her a prominent place in the canon of American literature. Her poems are often characterized by their concise, compact form and thought-provoking ideas.

Emily Dickinson's poems are renowned for their skillful and beautiful composition. Her mastery of language and ability to convey complex emotions and ideas in a concise manner make her poems stand out. She often employed vivid imagery, metaphors, and precise word choices to create a rich and evocative poetic experience for the reader. For example, in her poem 'Hope is the thing with feathers,' she beautifully captures the concept of hope by comparing it to a bird that sustains and uplifts the human spirit.

Emily Dickinson's poetry stands out due to its unique style and unconventional approach. Unlike many of her contemporaries, she did not seek publication during her lifetime, and her work was largely unknown until after her death. Her poems often deviate from the traditional poetic conventions of her time, with irregular punctuation, capitalization, and innovative use of dashes. This distinctive style adds depth and complexity to her work, making it distinct from other poets of her era.

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