Emily Dickinson: poems

Emily Dickinson quote

Emily Dickinson quote

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) was an American poet considered one of the most important representatives of this literary genre worldwide. While she lived, few knew about her talents as a writer, only family and close friends. After his death and the discovery of his manuscripts by his sister, the publications of his almost 1800 poems began.

In a short time, Emily Dickinson went from anonymity to being a relevant figure in the poetic world. His letters and poems are a reflection of his existenceThey contain the stories of his loves, friendships, of many of the various circumstances that he lived through. In the organization and dissemination of his poetic legacy, Lavinia Dickinson stood out, Mabel Loomis Todd, Thomas Higginson, Martha Dickinson Bianchi and Thomas H. Johnson.

Poems by Emily Dickinson

When i count the seeds

When i count the seeds

sown down there

to flourish like this, side by side;

when i examine people

how low does he lie

to get so high;

when I think the garden

that mortals will not see

chance reaps its cocoons

and dodge this bee,

I can do without the summer, without complaint.

Slice the lark —and you will find the music—

bulb after bulb, bathed in silver,

just delivered to the summer morning

Kept for your ear when the lute is old.

I could be more alone without my loneliness ...

I could be lonelier without my loneliness

I'm so used to my destiny

maybe the other peace,

could interrupt the dark

And fill the little room

too meager in measure

to contain his sacrament,

I'm not used to hope

could intrude on your sweet ostentation,

violate the place ordered for suffering,

it would be easier to perish with the earth in sight,

than to conquer my blue peninsula,

perish with delight.

Certainty

I've never seen a wasteland

and the sea I never got to see

but I have seen the eyes of the heather

And I know what the waves must be

I have never spoken with God

nor did I visit him in Heaven,

but I'm sure where I'm traveling from

as if they had given me the course.

133

Water is learned through thirst.

The Earth - by the crossed Oceans.

The Ecstasy —for the agony—

La Paz - the battles tell it -

Love, through the Hole of Memory.

The Birds, for the Snow.

292

If Courage abandons you—

Live above Him—

Sometimes he leans on the Tomb,

If you fear deviating—

It's a safe posture—

Was never wrong

In those arms of Bronze—

Not the Best of Giants—

If your soul trembles—

Open the door of the Flesh—

The Coward needs Oxygen—

Nothing more-

That I always loved

That I always loved

I bring you the proof

that until I loved

I never lived — long—

that I will always love

I will discuss it with you

what love is life

and life immortality

this - if you doubt it - dear,

so I don't have

nothing to show

except calvary

Brief biographical information on the author, Emily Dickinson

Birth and origins

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson He was born December 10, 1830, in Amherst, Massachusetts. Her parents were Edward Dickinson - a renowned lawyer - and Emily Norcross Dickinson. In New England his family enjoyed renown and respect as his ancestors were notable educators, politicians and lawyers.

Last portrait of Emily Dickinson

Last portrait of Emily Dickinson

Both his grandfather —Samuel Fowler Dickinson— and his father made political life in Massachusetts. The former was a Hampton County Judge for four decades, the latter a State Representative and Senator. In 1821, the two founded the private educational institute Amherst College.

Brethren

Emily was the second daughter of the Dickinson couple; the first-born was Austin, who was born in 1829. The young man received an education in Amherst College and graduated from Harvard University as a lawyer. In 1956, Austin married a friend of his sister, Susan Huntington Gilbert. The latter remained very close to EmilyWas your confidant and muse of many of his poems.

In 1833 the youngest daughter of the Dickinson couple was born, Lavinia -Vinnie-, Emily's faithful companion throughout her life. Thanks to Vinnie - her sister's profuse admirer - we have concise information about the writer. In fact, it was Lavinia who helped Emily maintain her lifestyle of isolation and solitude, and she was one of the few people who knew her poetic work at that time.

Applied studies

In 1838, Amherst College —Which was only for men— allowed the enrollment of women in the institution. It was like this Emily entered, two years later, to said educational center, where received a complete training. Among the areas of learning, he excelled in literature, history, geology and biology, while mathematics was difficult for him.

Likewise, in this institution he learned several languages, among which Greek and Latin stand out, languages ​​that allowed him to read important literary works in the original language. On the recommendation of his father, he studied German with the rector of the academy. As extracurricular activities, he received piano lessons with his aunt, in addition to singing, gardening, floriculture and horticulture. These last trades penetrated so deeply in her that she practiced them all her life.

Significant characters for Dickinson

Throughout his life, Dickinson met people who introduced her to reading, thus marking him positively. Among them His mentor and friend Thomas Wentworth Higginson stand out, BF Newton and Reverend Charles Wadsworth. They all maintained a close relationship with the poet, and many of her famous letters - where she reflected her experiences and moods - were addressed to them.

Death

With a chronic picture of kidney disease (nephritis, according to experts) and after a depression resulting from the death of his youngest nephew, the poet died on May 15, 1886.

Dickinson's poetry

Theme

Dickinson wrote about what he knew and the things that troubled him, and, according to the plot, he added touches of humor or irony. Among the themes present in his poems are: nature, love, identity, death and immortality.

Style

Dickinson wrote many poems brief with a single speaker, referring to the "I" (not always the author) regularly in the first person. In this regard, he stated: "When I declare myself, as Representative of the Verse, it does not mean me, but a supposed person" (L268). Likewise, few of his works have a title; after being edited, some were identified by their first lines or numbers.

Publications of Dickinson's poems

Poems published in life

While the poet was alive, only a few of her writings came to light. Some of them were published in the local newspaper Springfield Daily Republican, directed by Samuel Bowles. It is still unknown if Dickinson gave the authorization for its presentation; among them are:

  • "Sic transit gloria mundi" (February 20, 1852) with the title "A Valentine"
  • "Nobody knows this little rose" (August 2, 1858) with the title "For the lady, with a rose"
  • "I tried a liquor that was never made" (May 4, 1861) with the title "The May-Wine"
  • "Safe in their Alabaster Chambers" (March 1, 1862) with title "The Sleeping"

From the publications made in the Springfield Daily Republican, one of the most significant was "A close companion in the grass" —on February 14, 1866—. This text was then considered a masterpiece. However, this did not have the authorization of the poet for its disclosure. It was alleged that it was taken from him without consent by someone he trusted, and it is speculated that it was Susan Gilbert.

poems (1890)

Emily Dickinson and Kate Scott Turner (photo 1859)

Emily Dickinson and Kate Scott Turner (photo 1859)

After Lavinia discovered hundreds of her sister's poems, she decided to publish them. For this, Mabel Loomis Todd sought help, who was in charge of editing the material together with TW Higginson. The texts had various changes, such as the incorporation of titles, application of punctuation and in some cases words were affected to give meaning or rhyme.

After the success of this first selection, Todd and Higginson published two other anthologies with the same name in 1891 and 1896..

Letters from Emily Dickinson (1894)

It is a compilation of missives from the poet —for family and friends. The work was edited by Mabel Loomis Todd with the help of Lavinia Dickinson. This work consisted of two volumes with select letters that showed both the fraternal and the loving side of the poet.

The Single Hound: Poems of a Lifetime (The Hound Alone: ​​Poems of a Lifetime, 1914)

It is the first publication in a group of six collections of poems edited by his niece Martha Dickinson Bianchi. She decided to continue with her aunt's legacy, for this she used the manuscripts she inherited from Lavinia and Susan Dickinson. These editions were made with subtlety, without altering the rhyme and without identifying the poems, therefore, they were closer to the originals.

The other compilations of Martha Dickinson Bianchi were:

  • The Life and Letters of Emily Dickinson (1924)
  • The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson (1924)
  • Other poems by Emily Dickinson (1929)
  • The Poems of Emily Dickinson: Centenary Edition (1930)
  • Unpublished Poems by Emily Dickinson (1935)

Bolts of Melody: New Poems by Emily Dickinson (1945)

After decades of its last publication, Mabel Loomis Todd decided to edit the poems that still remained of Dickinson. She started this project motivated by the work done by Bianchi. To do this, he had the support of his daughter Millicent. Although unfortunately he did not live to see his goal accomplished, his heir finished it and published it in 1945.

The Poems of Emily Dickinson (1945)

Edited by the writer Thomas H. Johnson, they contain all the poems that had come to light up to that time. In this case, the editor worked directly on the original manuscripts, using exceptional precision and care. After hard work, he ordered each of the texts chronologically. Although none were dated, it was based on the author's changes in writing.


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