Emily Dickinson poems are like hidden treasures, waiting to be discovered. She had a special way of writing that touches the heart and makes you think deep. Even though she lived a long time ago, her words still feel fresh and alive today. Her poetry talks about things everyone can understand: love, loss, nature, and the big questions of life.
She had a knack for capturing big feelings in just a few simple words, making her poems easy to connect with. Whether you’re feeling happy, sad, or anything in between, Emily’s poems have something for you. They remind us that poetry isn’t just words on a page; it’s a way to share feelings and ideas, connecting us all, no matter where we come from or what we’re going through.
Table of Contents
Emily Dickinson poems
1. Because I could not stop for Death (Published in 1890)
Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.
We slowly drove – He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility –
We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess – in the Ring –
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –
We passed the Setting Sun –
Or rather – He passed Us –
The Dews drew quivering and Chill –
For only Gossamer, my Gown –
My Tippet – only Tulle –
We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground –
The Roof was scarcely visible –
The Cornice – in the Ground –
Since then – ’tis Centuries – and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses’ Heads
Were toward Eternity –
2. Hope is the thing with feathers (Published in 1891)
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I’ve heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
3. A Bird came down the Walk (Published in 1891)
A Bird came down the Walk—
He did not know I saw—
He bit an Angleworm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw.
And then he drank a Dew
From a convenient Grass—
And then hopped sidewise to the Wall
To let a Beetle pass—
He glanced with rapid eyes
That hurried all abroad—
They looked like frightened Beads, I thought—
He stirred his Velvet Head
Like one in danger; Cautious,
I offered him a Crumb
And he unrolled his feathers
And rowed him softer home—
Than Oars divide the Ocean,
Too silver for a seam—
Or Butterflies, off Banks of Noon
Leap, plashless as they swim.
4. I heard a Fly buzz – when I died (Published in 1896)
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 –
The Eyes around – had wrung them dry –
And Breaths were gathering sure
For that last Onset – when the King
Be witnessed – in the Room –
I willed my Keepsakes – Signed away
What portion of me be
Assignable – and then it was
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 –
5. There’s a certain Slant of light (Published in 1890)
There’s a certain Slant of light,
Winter Afternoons –
That oppresses, like the Heft
Of Cathedral Tunes –
Heavenly Hurt, it gives us –
We can find no scar,
But internal difference –
Where the Meanings, are –
None may teach it – Any –
‘Tis the seal Despair –
An imperial affliction
Sent us of the Air –
When it comes, the Landscape listens –
Shadows – hold their breath –
When it goes, ’tis like the Distance
On the look of Death –
6. My Life had stood – a Loaded Gun (Published in 1929)
My Life had stood – a Loaded Gun –
In Corners – till a Day
The Owner passed – identified –
And carried Me away –
And now We roam in Sovereign Woods –
And now We hunt the Doe –
And every time I speak for Him
The Mountains straight reply –
And do I smile, such cordial light
Upon the Valley glow –
It is as a Vesuvian face
Had let its pleasure through –
And when at Night – Our good Day done –
I guard My Master’s Head –
‘Tis better than the Eider-Duck’s
Deep Pillow – to have shared –
To foe of His – I’m deadly foe –
None stir the second time –
On whom I lay a Yellow Eye –
Or an emphatic Thumb –
Though I than He – may longer live
He longer must – than I –
For I have but the power to kill,
Without – the power to die –
7. “Success is counted sweetest” (Published in 1890)
Success is counted sweetest
By those who ne’er succeed.
To comprehend a nectar
Requires sorest need.
Not one of all the purple Host
Who took the Flag today
Can tell the definition
So clear of Victory
As he defeated – dying –
On whose forbidden ear
The distant strains of triumph
Burst agonized and clear!
Conclusion
In wrapping up, Emily Dickinson poems are really special. They talk about things everyone can feel and think about, like love, nature, and life’s big questions. Her way of writing is simple but powerful, making you feel all kinds of emotions. It’s amazing how her words from so long ago can still touch our hearts today. Whether you’re reading her poems for the first time or you’ve loved them for a while, Emily Dickinson has a way of connecting with everyone. Her poems show us how poetry can bring people together, making us see and feel the beauty in the world and in ourselves. Emily Dickinson’s work proves that great poetry is timeless, reaching out and touching people’s hearts everywhere.
