
This volume presents a selection of poems written by a famously private 19th‑century American poet, gathered by two close friends who sought to share her work with a wider audience. The verses were composed in solitude, often without any intention of publication, and they retain the spontaneous, daring voice that marked her unique approach to language. Readers will encounter compact, vivid images of nature, faith, and inner feeling, all delivered in her characteristic compressed style.
The editors preserved the poems largely as they appeared in her handwritten notebooks, only assigning titles where none existed, so the raw energy of her dashes and unconventional punctuation comes through. Occasionally the collection includes brief transcriptions of manuscripts, offering a glimpse of the poet’s own hand and the occasional playful or solemn turn of phrase. Listeners will find the work both intimate and striking, a window into a mind that turned everyday observations into profound, often startling insights.
Language
en
Duration
~50 minutes (48K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2001-06-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1830–1886
Known for compressed, surprising poems about death, nature, faith, and the inner life, this American writer changed the possibilities of lyric poetry. Although only a handful of her poems appeared during her lifetime, her work went on to become some of the most admired in American literature.
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