Dickinson As a Poet of Nature

Answer

Discuss Dickinson as a poet of nature. [NU: 2017, 21]          

Emily Dickinson (1830–1886) is one of the most original American poets. She is known for her unique thoughts and simple style. Though she often wrote about death, immortality, and the soul, she also wrote deeply about nature. For her, nature was not only beautiful but also spiritual. She used natural scenes to express joy, mystery, and human emotions.       

Nature as a Source of Joy and Freedom: Dickinson often celebrates happiness in the natural world. In her poem I Taste a Liquor Never Brewed (1861), she describes how nature makes her feel drunk with delight. She writes:

“Inebriate of Air – am I – 

 And Debauchee of Dew –” 

Here, she says she is drunk on air and dew. She uses the image of drinking wine, but the wine is not real. It is the pure joy she feels from nature. She deeply loves the beauty of the world around her. 

Endless Joy in Nature: Later in the same poem, Dickinson continues the idea. She shows that even when butterflies and bees stop drinking nectar, her happiness will not end. She says, 

“When Butterflies – renounce their ‘drams’ – 

 I shall but drink the more!”  

These suggest that even insects tire of enjoying nature. But she never tired of enjoying the natural beauty. For her, nature’s joy is endless. For this, she called a poet of nature. 

Nature as a Metaphor for Life’s Journey: Dickinson often uses natural images as symbols of life. In Because I Could Not Stop for Death (1890), the poet imagines a carriage ride with Death. On this ride, they pass different scenes of nature:   

“We passed the School, where Children strove – 

 We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain – 

We passed the Setting Sun –” 

The school represents childhood. The grain fields represent maturity. The setting sun symbolizes the end of