Emily Dickinson

American poet of the nineteenth century, known for short lyric poems on death, nature, and the self, written in a distinctive compressed style. Biography ↓More ↓

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Emily Dickinson

Consulting summer's clock,

Consulting summer's clock, But half the hours remain. I ascertain it with a shock -- I shall not look again. The second half of joy Is shorter than the first. The truth I do not dare to know I muffle with a jest.

Emily Dickinson

It sounded as if the Streets were running

It sounded as if the Streets were running And then -- the Streets stood still -- Eclipse -- was all we could see at the Window And Awe -- was all we could feel. By and by -- the boldest stole out of his Covert To see if Time was there -- Nature was in an Opal Apron, Mixing fresher Air.

Biography

An American poet who spent most of her life in Amherst, Massachusetts, leading a reclusive existence. She composed nearly 1,800 poems, but only a handful were published anonymously during her lifetime. After her death, her work was discovered and published, gaining wide recognition. Her poems often explore mortality, interior life, and the natural world, using unconventional punctuation and slant rhyme. The brevity and ambiguity of her verse create a reflective, sometimes enigmatic tone. She is now regarded as a central figure in American poetry, prefiguring modernist trends with her formal innovations. Her collected poems have influenced countless writers and remain widely studied and anthologized.

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