A Poem by Emily Dickinson

Died For Beauty But Was Scarce

I died for beauty but was scarce
Adjusted in the tomb,
When one who died for truth was lain
In an adjoining room.

He questioned softly whyI failed?
"For beauty," I replied.
"And I for truth, the two are one;
We brethren are," he said.

And so, as kinsmen met a night,
We talked between the rooms,
Until the moss had reached our lips,
And covered up our names.

(The picture represents beauty, and life. It gradually descends into its death)

My Interpretation : Its an aspect of how the human life, feelings and identity itself is gradually taken away by death.

Summary : The man lying beside her said truth and beauty are all but different, so they are brethren. So they talk, gradually descending into death until the moss covers up their names.

Death of an American Poet

Emily's Death was a tragic one. She died at the age of 55 from Bights disease which is caused by kidney degeneration.While Emily Dickinson was on her death bed, she had told he sister Vinnie to place all her poems to burn in a fire. She did not want anyone to read, none the less publish them. Thankfully Vinnie had ignored her sister's request to burn the old manuscripts. She soon handed them to a family friend Mabel. Though Mabel has never met Emily, she was moved and inspired by the powerful poems. Mabel typed up 200 poems with the encouragement of Emily's old friend. The first edition was published in 1893. The poems began to get much attention and praise in many newspapers and magazines.

R.I.P Emily Dickinson

The Seclusion of Emily

Emily Dickinson isolated herself from society. Slowly and gradually, she stepped out of her house less and less until she finally secluded herself from everyone but the close circle of her family. But Emily didn't let her seclusion get in the way from contacting people outside with her thought intriguing letters. Through her poetry, it has been said that the isolation has opened her mind to many new avenues rather then kept it closed. Despite the seclusion, Emily has stated in her poems she has experienced moments of great joy. Also death of close friends was a significant feature of Emily’s life; many close to her were taken away. This inevitably heightened her interest, fascination and perhaps fear of death, which informed so much of her poetry.

Emily at A Young Age

Emily Dickinson was born December 10,1830 in the town of Amherst, Massachusetts. She was considered to be an intelligent and conscientious student. Emily would create poems or rhyming stories to entertain her fellow classmates. At home she would read, but many books were censored by her father. Many of the books and novels she enjoyed were considered "too inappropriate," and had to be sneaked into the house. Emily tried to be the "good little" girl everyone saw and percieved her as, but inside she had an independent mind and refusal came very easily to her.