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Poems by Emily Dickinson #3
Poems by Emily Dickinson, Third Series
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97 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1896
57 people are currently reading
202 people want to read
About the author
Emily Dickinson
1,555 books6,900 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 - 29 of 29 reviews
August 15, 2017
A WORD.
A word is dead
When it is said,
Some say.
I say it just
Begins to live
That day.
A word is dead
When it is said,
Some say.
I say it just
Begins to live
That day.
October 3, 2017
I have now read all of Emily Dickinson's works!! I really enjoyed reading this third series of poems. The first section kind of dragged for me, but once I got to the second section, I finished it in no time! Definitely read Ms. Dickinson's works at least once if you haven't already!
August 18, 2025
Whelp, I am clearly not smart enough for these poems.
August 20, 2022
Well, it’s better than most earlier American poetry.
Read
August 5, 2022The Balloon
You've seen balloons set, haven't you?
So stately they ascend
It is as swans discarded you
For duties diamond.
Their liquid feet go softly out
Upon a sea of blond;
They spurn the air as 't were too mean
For creatures so renowned.
Their ribbons just beyond the eye,
They struggle some for breath,
And yet the crowd applauds below;
They would not encore death.
The gilded creature strains and spins,
Trips frantic in a tree,
Tears open her imperial veins
And tumbles in the sea.
The crowd retire with an oath
The dust in streets goes down,
And clerks in counting-rooms observe,
''T was only a balloon.'
You've seen balloons set, haven't you?
So stately they ascend
It is as swans discarded you
For duties diamond.
Their liquid feet go softly out
Upon a sea of blond;
They spurn the air as 't were too mean
For creatures so renowned.
Their ribbons just beyond the eye,
They struggle some for breath,
And yet the crowd applauds below;
They would not encore death.
The gilded creature strains and spins,
Trips frantic in a tree,
Tears open her imperial veins
And tumbles in the sea.
The crowd retire with an oath
The dust in streets goes down,
And clerks in counting-rooms observe,
''T was only a balloon.'
November 3, 2023
Another magnificent collection from Dickinson.
June 7, 2018
Relationship with men and women often meld and transform into metaphors for the natural world, introspection regarding her surroundings, and reflections upon death itself all come together in a wide variety of poems written by Emily Dickenson. Offered up in simple language, touching upon deeper matters, each poem brings a fresh clarity and wonder to the subject of the verse. Dark at times without being depressing, these poems were as refreshing as a breath of fresh air, easy to absorb, and only too easy to rush through when it’s more rewarding to linger a bit more, measuring the meanings lying within them.
Fast or leisurely, this was a revitalizing read which picked up spirits, dusting off my own creativity without shaking me to my foundation. Gentle abstraction, shivers of wonder, and a general lifting of my melancholy were the results of this volume. Readers tread in deep waters without fearing the depths. Way down may be murky, yet it’s illuminated with its own introspective light. For all of these impressions and sensations, I give this book four stars.
Fast or leisurely, this was a revitalizing read which picked up spirits, dusting off my own creativity without shaking me to my foundation. Gentle abstraction, shivers of wonder, and a general lifting of my melancholy were the results of this volume. Readers tread in deep waters without fearing the depths. Way down may be murky, yet it’s illuminated with its own introspective light. For all of these impressions and sensations, I give this book four stars.
January 26, 2021
Third and final series of Dickinson poetry sees more similar poems, but this collection also seemed to be more focussed on eternity and the beyond.
This was probably the pick of the three series.
Dickinson always has something interesting to say in her poetry though, whether we hear it or not is another matter.
This was probably the pick of the three series.
Dickinson always has something interesting to say in her poetry though, whether we hear it or not is another matter.
February 12, 2018
That conclude the three series'
They were a good read and a great collection by Emily Dickinson whom I did not know about before and so it was a very good surprise.
Still I like the First series more than the other two.
They were a good read and a great collection by Emily Dickinson whom I did not know about before and so it was a very good surprise.
Still I like the First series more than the other two.
A word is dead
When it is said
December 28, 2018
Not sure the provenance here...These feel late. Urgent, desperate, the light is failing. The pull of death is real, the hope to be reunited in the afterworld is fierce. As homespun and humble as ever; maybe more terrifying than before.
June 3, 2023
3.5 the first section is quite dragged but the next ones about love, nature & time are absolutely beautiful
“water is taught by thirst;
land, by the oceans passed;
transport, by throe;
peace, by its battles told;
love, by memorial mould;
birds, by the snow.”
“water is taught by thirst;
land, by the oceans passed;
transport, by throe;
peace, by its battles told;
love, by memorial mould;
birds, by the snow.”
May 26, 2024
I agree with some other reviews that the first section in this collection wasnt as compelling but I really enjoyed her nature and time sections! Another must read if you are a fan of very fine poetry
February 5, 2026
This ebook was actually 226 pages long. As with her first and second series of poems, I couldn’t “picture” what she was writing about. I would like to find a book that explains what she was thinking about in her poems.
December 6, 2017
Brilliant.
August 1, 2020
I think Dickinson is at her best when she writes her incredibly unique, piercing imagery:
“A sloop of amber slips away
Upon an ether sea,
And wrecks in peace a purple tar,
The son of ecstasy.”
“A sloop of amber slips away
Upon an ether sea,
And wrecks in peace a purple tar,
The son of ecstasy.”
December 11, 2020
I wanna write
But what can I write for she
Who is the Queen
Of poetry...
But what can I write for she
Who is the Queen
Of poetry...
April 6, 2021
Meh.
So many exclamation marks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So many exclamation marks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 12, 2021
I loved this collection of poetry. Emily Dickinson is one of the greatest poets to ever live. I have always enjoyed reading her work.
left-behind
July 13, 2022Status: have not read AT ALL.
February 29, 2024
What more could I say?
One of my favorite bards of all time, her complex rhythm and rhyme, meter and tone never cease to astound me!
One of my favorite bards of all time, her complex rhythm and rhyme, meter and tone never cease to astound me!
April 1, 2025
“There is no frigate like a book. To take us lands away”
September 9, 2020
Full confession: I’ve never been an Emily Dickinson fan. There are only a handful of her poem I actually like. The short classics read for this month was “Selected Poems” by Emily Dickinson. I didn’t have the exact volume chosen, but I did have this freebie on my Kindle. Unfortunately, only 18 of the 61 poems in this edition are in the book chosen for the group read, but close enough in my book (pun intended).
February 28, 2025
Again, I liked the simplicity and depth of the poems.
March 29, 2013
Death holds the biggest piece of of this poetic pie, and I love how to Emily, and to you and me, should we decide to believe her, it is a most trivial event when it happens to oneself, but a life-changing horror when it happens to a loved one. Here are my faves:
"Hope is a subtle glutton;
he feeds upon the fair;
and yet, inspected closely,
what abstinence is there!"
"I felt a clearing in my mind
as if my brain had split;
i tried to match it, seam by seam,
but could not make them fit.
The thought behind I strove to join
unto the thought before,
but sequence ravelled out of reach
like balls upon a floor."
"You cannot fold a flood
and put it in a drawer,
because the winds would find it out,
and tell your cedar floor."
"My friend must be a bird,
because it flies!
mortal my friend must be,
because it dies!
barbs has it, like a bee.
Ah, curious friend,
thou puzzlest me!"
"The spider as an artist
has never been employed
though his surpassing merit
is freely certified,
by every bloom and Bridget
throughout a christian land.
neglected son of genius,
i take thee by the hand."
"they say 'time assuages,'
but time never did assuage;
an actual suffering strengthens,
as sinews do, with age.
time is a test of trouble,
but not a remedy.
if such it prove, it prove too,
there was no malady."
"Just when the grave and i
have sobbed ourselves almost to sleep
our only lullaby"
"Hope is a subtle glutton;
he feeds upon the fair;
and yet, inspected closely,
what abstinence is there!"
"I felt a clearing in my mind
as if my brain had split;
i tried to match it, seam by seam,
but could not make them fit.
The thought behind I strove to join
unto the thought before,
but sequence ravelled out of reach
like balls upon a floor."
"You cannot fold a flood
and put it in a drawer,
because the winds would find it out,
and tell your cedar floor."
"My friend must be a bird,
because it flies!
mortal my friend must be,
because it dies!
barbs has it, like a bee.
Ah, curious friend,
thou puzzlest me!"
"The spider as an artist
has never been employed
though his surpassing merit
is freely certified,
by every bloom and Bridget
throughout a christian land.
neglected son of genius,
i take thee by the hand."
"they say 'time assuages,'
but time never did assuage;
an actual suffering strengthens,
as sinews do, with age.
time is a test of trouble,
but not a remedy.
if such it prove, it prove too,
there was no malady."
"Just when the grave and i
have sobbed ourselves almost to sleep
our only lullaby"
August 21, 2012
See my review of series one: my link text
There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.
This traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of toll;
How frugal is the chariot
That bears a human soul!
I heard a fly buzz when I died;
The stillness round my form
Was like the stillness in the air
Between the heaves of storm.
The eyes beside had wrung them dry,
And breaths were gathering sure
For that last onset, when the king
Be witnessed in his power.
I willed my keepsakes, signed away
What portion of me I
Could make assignable,-and then
There interposed a fly,
With blue, uncertain, stumbling buzz,
Between the light and me;
And then the windows failed, and then
I could not see to see.
There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.
This traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of toll;
How frugal is the chariot
That bears a human soul!
I heard a fly buzz when I died;
The stillness round my form
Was like the stillness in the air
Between the heaves of storm.
The eyes beside had wrung them dry,
And breaths were gathering sure
For that last onset, when the king
Be witnessed in his power.
I willed my keepsakes, signed away
What portion of me I
Could make assignable,-and then
There interposed a fly,
With blue, uncertain, stumbling buzz,
Between the light and me;
And then the windows failed, and then
I could not see to see.
December 31, 2013
Wow, that was a good pleasure!
These lovely poems should be read on sunset, on a romantic beach, along with a tasty cup of good coffee! -- with slow music for sure:) that would be perfect!
Emily Dickinson was a romantic soul. Her poems say that. They were easy, and totally charming.
I highly recommend them. If you like to take a break from your heavy noisy grey life, then you should read them - they are the cure! They will put you in a world full of colors.
April 15, 2014
3.5 stars
Emily Dickinson has some good poems, but the majority are kind of 'meh'. And who can blame her? Some of them are only a couple lines, and she has literally hundreds of them. They can't all be masterpieces. Still, if you're interested, I suggest getting a collection of her famous poems, not all of them.
Emily Dickinson has some good poems, but the majority are kind of 'meh'. And who can blame her? Some of them are only a couple lines, and she has literally hundreds of them. They can't all be masterpieces. Still, if you're interested, I suggest getting a collection of her famous poems, not all of them.
September 6, 2015
The nearest dream recedes unrealized.
The heaven we chase,
Like the June bee
Before the schoolboy,
Invites the race,
Stoops to an easy clover,
Dips--evades--teases--deploys--
Then to the royal clouds
Lifts his light pinnace,
Heedless of the boy
Staring, bewildered, at the mocking sky.
Homesick for steadfast honey,--
Ah! the bee flies not
Which brews that rare variety.
The heaven we chase,
Like the June bee
Before the schoolboy,
Invites the race,
Stoops to an easy clover,
Dips--evades--teases--deploys--
Then to the royal clouds
Lifts his light pinnace,
Heedless of the boy
Staring, bewildered, at the mocking sky.
Homesick for steadfast honey,--
Ah! the bee flies not
Which brews that rare variety.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews