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The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson proved that brevity can be beautiful. Only now is her complete oeuvre--all 1,775 poems--available in its original form, uncorrupted by editorial revision, in one volume. Thomas H. Johnson, a longtime Dickinson scholar, arranged the poems in chronological order as far as could be ascertained (the dates for more than 100 are unknown). This organization allows...more
Hardcover, 770 pages
Published
January 30th 1960
by Little, Brown
(first published 1924)
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I felt a sneeze - as big as God
Form in - back of - my Nose
Yet being - without - a Handkerchief
I Panicked quite - and froze
Sneeze I must - yet sneeze - must not
Dilemma - made - me grieve
Happy then - that just - a single Bee
Saw me - use - my sleeve
Well all right, I did not read every one of the 25,678 but certainly a fair number. You know when she died they found she'd stuffed poems everywhere in her house, up the chimney, down her knickers, t...more
Form in - back of - my Nose
Yet being - without - a Handkerchief
I Panicked quite - and froze
Sneeze I must - yet sneeze - must not
Dilemma - made - me grieve
Happy then - that just - a single Bee
Saw me - use - my sleeve
Well all right, I did not read every one of the 25,678 but certainly a fair number. You know when she died they found she'd stuffed poems everywhere in her house, up the chimney, down her knickers, t...more
view all 7 comments
Because she is so freaking good--
As good--as she can be--
She makes me want--to scream--and shout--
And set my poor heart free--
Because I cannot live without--
Her rhythm--and her rhyme--
I keep this poet close at hand
And only ask--for time.
As good--as she can be--
She makes me want--to scream--and shout--
And set my poor heart free--
Because I cannot live without--
Her rhythm--and her rhyme--
I keep this poet close at hand
And only ask--for time.
Emily Dickinson's poems convinced me, at an early age of 9 or 10, to become a writer myself. I discovered her poems from the obsolete American textbooks my mother got from the collection in our school library. On Saturday and Sunday afternoons, when it was too hot to play outside and children were forced to take afternoon siestas, I'd end up reading her poems and imagined the person, that woman, with whom I shared similar thoughts. My favorite poem remains to this day:
I'm nobody! Who...more
I'm nobody! Who...more
I love Dickinson. More specifically, I love the sense of balance I feel when reading any of her poems. Her poetry has light within its overwhelming darkness; it is straightforward yet subtle. Its originality is sometimes even startling. I have learned so much in reading her work but the most powerful of lessons I take from Dickinson is to "Tell all the truth but tell it slant... The Truth must dazzle gradually/ Or every man be blind."
Update: I am at last finished (after a year of not really steady reading). Now I just have to start memorizing. . .
The result of reading the full Emily is only greater curiosity. Now I want to see the poems as she arranged them, in their packets. The chron. arrangement pokes at a biographical revelation that ultimately seems beside the point. . . I'd rather just take her inner world as its own end. On the other hand, I've also started an edition of her letters. --She is fascinating. I'm w...more
The result of reading the full Emily is only greater curiosity. Now I want to see the poems as she arranged them, in their packets. The chron. arrangement pokes at a biographical revelation that ultimately seems beside the point. . . I'd rather just take her inner world as its own end. On the other hand, I've also started an edition of her letters. --She is fascinating. I'm w...more
I would highly, highly recommend strolling through Dickinson's collected verse. She's a (surprisingly) highly underrated poet. Going deep into her entire collection will unearth unknown gems as well as old favorites. This edition, organized chronologically, allows the opportunity to study her growth as a poet and explore her obsessions over time. It also provides the date of first publication (if there was one). A must-have for any poetry enthusiast, highly recommended for those who have a modes...more
This splendid book collects Miss Dickinson’s fruitful progeny. Before her time, she mastered the short form and slant rhyme that epitomize the modern poem. Yes, she spends far too much time lamenting death and contemplating bees, but her mostly private thoughts leave a mark on the American soul.
“Narcotics cannot still the Tooth
That nibbles at the soul.”
“Unable are the Loved to die
For Love is Immortality.”
“I never saw a Moor —
I never saw the Sea —
Yet know I how the Heather looks
And what a B...more
“Narcotics cannot still the Tooth
That nibbles at the soul.”
“Unable are the Loved to die
For Love is Immortality.”
“I never saw a Moor —
I never saw the Sea —
Yet know I how the Heather looks
And what a B...more
Life is death we’re lengthy at,
Death the hinge of life.
This is the entire text of poem #502 in this edition, an edition gleaned from the editor’s three volume 2,500 sources variorum set of 1998. Dickinson’s poems are characteristically pithy and short, with idiosyncratic punctuation and grammar. Few were published in her lifetime. And due to the editorial changes made in them, she was very unhappy in those that were. American literature owes a great debt to her younger sister w...more
Death the hinge of life.
This is the entire text of poem #502 in this edition, an edition gleaned from the editor’s three volume 2,500 sources variorum set of 1998. Dickinson’s poems are characteristically pithy and short, with idiosyncratic punctuation and grammar. Few were published in her lifetime. And due to the editorial changes made in them, she was very unhappy in those that were. American literature owes a great debt to her younger sister w...more
I love Emily Dickinson and most of her works because she is a poet of transgression. Most of her poetry deals with her revolutionary observations of the world around her and with her own subcommentary on how her views differ from most people's. What I love about her poetry is that there is a tone of revelry in her self-acknowledged rebelliousness. If I had to copy all of my favorite poems of hers I might as well create an anthology; for now, allow me to share a poem that has been my favorite fo...more
I've seen a lot of references to Emily Dickinson lately so I decided to give in and read this, which I had downloaded for free from Barnes and Noble last July 4th, when they put up all their volumes in the B&N Classics Series by American authors for free download for Nook or Nook app.
DO read the collected poems of Emily Dickinson. DO NOT read this version. The editors have "helpfully" messed with her stylings, replacing her dashes with other forms of punctuation, ridiculous...more
DO read the collected poems of Emily Dickinson. DO NOT read this version. The editors have "helpfully" messed with her stylings, replacing her dashes with other forms of punctuation, ridiculous...more
Been reading around in this every morning and drinking it in like I've never done before. Perhaps enjoying it more because I'm not worrying about the ones I don't "get": with a volume like this (of ALL 1,775 poems she wrote), I'm just assuming there are poems that didn't work out, and if I just don't love one, I can go to the next. There are so many to choose from that I just let my eyes sort of skim, even head for all of the shorties if they wish. Been also copying down lines that r...more
It's a bit lame to write a review of a complete poems, especially in the case of Dickinson. I can't help but think her poetry was only meant to exist in fascicle format, as small gifts to her visitors. Especially since a complete poems has a very uneven quality, due to the timeline and the sheer amount of poems in the book. The (still large) amount of excellent poems outweighs the lesser poems by far, however, and one can at least try to imagine reading the poems in fascicle format - as if th...more
Been digging back through Emily's chest lately, this is the edition that brings it all back to her original edits as they were found, a living headstone for a bone-stirring mistress of the word... Autumn has been a little taxing this year, a key touch of dark even when this L.A. sun is still burning a hole through the skull, and where's the rain, too? and I'm staring out the window onto my own private landscape of where the dead lay still, vodka-soaked ghosts full of regret smiling, dancing lik...more
I had a guinea golden;
I lost it in the sand,
And though the sum was simple,
And pounds were in the land,
Still had it such a value
Unto my frugal eye,
That when I could not find it
I sat me down to sigh.
I had a crimson robin
Who sang full many a day,
But when the woods were painted
He, too, ...more
I lost it in the sand,
And though the sum was simple,
And pounds were in the land,
Still had it such a value
Unto my frugal eye,
That when I could not find it
I sat me down to sigh.
I had a crimson robin
Who sang full many a day,
But when the woods were painted
He, too, ...more
"MUCH madness is divinest sense
To a discerning eye;
Much sense the starkest madness.
'T is the majority
In this, as all, prevails.
Assent, and you are sane;
Demur, - you're straightway dangerous,
And handled with a chain."
A perfect collection for a perfect poet. Poems small in length but gigantic in impact. For a classic example look above. Some argue it is about John Brown, written shortly after his execution, an interpretation I ado...more
To a discerning eye;
Much sense the starkest madness.
'T is the majority
In this, as all, prevails.
Assent, and you are sane;
Demur, - you're straightway dangerous,
And handled with a chain."
A perfect collection for a perfect poet. Poems small in length but gigantic in impact. For a classic example look above. Some argue it is about John Brown, written shortly after his execution, an interpretation I ado...more
Emily Dickinson articulates my own thoughts and feelings in a way I never could. She manifests my ideal. She validates my existence. If you like Emily, I like you.
I hide myself within my flower,
That wearing on your breast,
You, unsuspecting, wear me too—
And angels know the rest.
I hide myself within my flower,
That, fading from your vase,
You, unsuspecting, feel for me
Almost a loneliness.
I hide myself within my flower,
That wearing on your breast,
You, unsuspecting, wear me too—
And angels know the rest.
I hide myself within my flower,
That, fading from your vase,
You, unsuspecting, feel for me
Almost a loneliness.
Emily Dickinson,"The famous recluse dressed in white", frequently confronted with the theme of death, portrays the picture of the death scene so vividly in her poems and also a firm believer in the OTHER world after this one is highlighted in her famous poem, "The World is Not Conclusion:
The World is not conclusion
A sequel stands beyond"
Also her seclusion and her faith and firmness in her power of being recluse is reflected in her poems, specially in, "...more
The World is not conclusion
A sequel stands beyond"
Also her seclusion and her faith and firmness in her power of being recluse is reflected in her poems, specially in, "...more
What can I say? Emily Dickinson's poetry is the most stunning, haunting poetry I've ever read. I'd read just a few of her poems before decidin to tackle her complete works. It's an incredible experience to read poem after poem that almost makes you feel like she understood the emotions of mortality better than anyone alive. And how she could convey that with words ... wow.
Quando penso a Emily, raramente penso a uno scrittore, a un poeta, a un artista. Il più delle volte mi affido a lei come se fosse una persona, una persona cara, una bambina da consolare.
Nella mia testa Emily è una bambina che ha bisogno di un abbraccio e che allo stesso tempo sa abbracciare me nei momenti del bisogno.
Quando sto male, quando sento che nessuno può capirmi, Emily è qui con me: lei sa come mi sento, lei può unire il suo dolore al mio. A condividerle le ferite si fanno me...more
Nella mia testa Emily è una bambina che ha bisogno di un abbraccio e che allo stesso tempo sa abbracciare me nei momenti del bisogno.
Quando sto male, quando sento che nessuno può capirmi, Emily è qui con me: lei sa come mi sento, lei può unire il suo dolore al mio. A condividerle le ferite si fanno me...more
I enjoy her terse style of poetry. She crams a lot of meaning into a few words.
There are other editions of Dickinson's poems, but it is hard to trust their hyphenation at the least. In other cases, the poems have been more severely edited, and in my experience, that is almost always a watering down of theme and an inability to appreciate Dickinson's artistry.
This is the only edition I recommend for the time being, and I am very grateful for it; it has been a privilege to write on poems such as "I dwell in possibility" and "There's a certain slant...more
This is the only edition I recommend for the time being, and I am very grateful for it; it has been a privilege to write on poems such as "I dwell in possibility" and "There's a certain slant...more
Emily, despite her insightful rebukes of established Christian practice and the accepted gender roles of the day, often loses some of her poignancy in her insular petulance. Perhaps knowing a bit about her character and lifestyle colors my perception of her work unfairly, but I can not help but see her work as a kind of stubborn fit because she doesn't like the rules. Granted, the rules and expectations with regard to religion and gender, specifically motherhood and the role of women within soci...more
Emily is my favorite 19th century American poet. When I first discovered her I connected not only with her words (which I didn't always get) but also the intelligent, cloistered woman whose mind could not be contained within the simple life she led...so much like myself.
At her best, ED combines a tight form with words that should trouble us, about the limits of knowing and about the terror of death, which are sometimes one and the same. Along with Whitman, the first great (because the first realistic) American poet.
I like Emily Dickinson but this edition is generally poor. Barnes and Noble does some good things with their classics, but this is not it.
Organized into loosely defined 'groups' such as life, love, &c, the editors used what is now considered obsolete punctuation--the replacement of her trademark dashes with commas and ordinary spaces.
So, if looking for a good edition, seek elsewhere. If looking for a puzzling and intelligent poet, stop here.
(Edition rates >...more
Organized into loosely defined 'groups' such as life, love, &c, the editors used what is now considered obsolete punctuation--the replacement of her trademark dashes with commas and ordinary spaces.
So, if looking for a good edition, seek elsewhere. If looking for a puzzling and intelligent poet, stop here.
(Edition rates >...more
i've been reading these for years. there have always been a few that took me by surprise, but lately i find this whole collection to be a really astonishing experiment in language - it's taken me years to see how modern she is (for you dickinson fans, i'm sure you're saying, well, DUH!). i say this because her work really is a kind of minimalism. she seems to to have more patience than most poets. she waits until the perfect formation of sounds and meanings emerge in just the right crystalline f...more
I remember turning to Dickinson's poems in the middle of a seemingly horrific break-up during my college years. Now I turn to her as I stand helpless watching my father die from lung cancer. One thing is for sure: Emily Dickinson knows pain. Not only that, she knows how to write that pain on paper in beautiful poems that touch my heart.
My favorite Dickinson poem is "The Fringe Gentian" and should be required reading by all girls in high school who wonder if they will ever...more
My favorite Dickinson poem is "The Fringe Gentian" and should be required reading by all girls in high school who wonder if they will ever...more
I LOVE EMILY DICKINSON, even her weirder poems that some people can't stand. I've always felt like I'm a little different than everyone else, even my close friends. Maybe this is why I relate to Emily Dickinson so much. My two favorite poems for hers are "I could not wait for death" and "I'm nobody." I think I got those titles right. None of her poems were officially titled, but the first lines of the poems are often used as makeshift titles in order to discuss and cite them....more
This is the version I've read for my most recent Grad school class. I really appreciate the chronological order in which he placed the poems. While many say that order and theme are lost and Dickinson must be appreciated a poem at a time, I found that reading them in order added an interested depth and story to the poetry. Generally, I have a difficult time with poetry, and this was no exception. However, studying them and looking for connections and links made this a very enjoyable and enlighte...more
Best Poem Titled: Since I could not stop for death.
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Emily 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...more
More about Emily Dickinson...
Dickinson was born to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life. After she studied at the...more
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“Nature is a haunted house--but Art--is a house that tries to be haunted.”
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