The heart asks pleasure first,
And then, excuse from pain;
And then, those little anodynes
That deaden suffering;
And then, to go to sleep;
And then, if it should be
The will of its Inquisitor,
The liberty to die.
Generally considered among the greatest American poets, Emily Dickinson has been read, studied, and admired by generations of literature students and poetry lovers. This modestly priced edition presents over 100 of her best-known and most-loved poems, reprinted from authoritative early editions. Unflinchingly honest, psychologically penetrating, and technically adventurous, the poems include such favorites as "The Chariot," "I taste a liquor never brewed," "The Snake," "I'm nobody, who are you?" "A Book," "There's a certain slant of light," "Hope," and many more.
Includes 3 selections from the Common Core State Standards Initiative.

Through her transcendent imagery, distinct punctuation, experimental slant rhyme, and wordplay, Emily Dickinson set herself apart from every other poet of her time. These essential works—thematically divided into poems on life, nature, love, and time and eternity—reveal a keen, humorous observer whose art, like the artist herself, defied tradition.

Originally published in three volumes between 1890 and 1891, this collection established Dickinson as a literary icon years after her death. Also included in this edition is The Single Hound, a once-lost volume of poetry edited by her niece, who was instrumental in establishing her aunt as the most widely read poet in the English language.

Revised edition: Previously published as The Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson, this edition of Collected Poems (AmazonClassics Edition) includes editorial revisions.