Friday, December 27, 2013
Robust Spirits
Two by Emily Dickinson today. I saw the first one in a book called Poems for Children and Other People, edited by George Hornby, that my Winter Poem Swap friend Michelle gave me:
He ate and drank the precious words
by Emily Dickinson
He ate and drank the precious words,
His spirit grew robust;
He knew no more that he was poor,
Nor that his frame was dust.
He danced along the dingy days,
And this bequest of wings
Was but a book. What liberty
A loosened spirit brings!
**********
I stepped from plank to plank
by Emily Dickinson
I stepped from plank to plank
So slow and cautiously;
The stars about my head I felt,
About my feet the sea.
I knew not but the next
Would be my final inch,—
This gave me that precarious gait
Some call experience.
**********
I'll be sharing the original poem Michelle gave me next week! Mary Lee is the Poetry Friday round-up host today.
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5 comments:
What a pair! The joys of both reading and experience.
(love the rhyme of "final inch" and "experience." Very Kay Ryan-esque...or better yet, Ryan's rhymes are Dickinsonian!)
"He ate and drank the precious words"
I don't remember having read this one before. It's a great one to use for a library quote. Have a great New Year's!
I had to close my eyes after I read "He ate and drank the precious words" thenre-read it again. Such beauty. Poetry fills the soul indeed. :) Happy New Year, my dearest Tabatha!
I felt my spirit loosen from reading these! Great picks, Tabatha. And thanks for the mention too. :) Looking forward to sharing your poem next week as well.
Emily says so much in so few precious words, doesn't she? I love the structure of "He Ate and Drank the Precious Words." She closes each line with a complete thought until she grabs our attention with
"And this bequest of wings
Was but a book. What liberty
A loosened spirit brings!"
Thanks for sharing these two poems. Happy New Year!
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