“I heard a Fly buzz - when I died - (591)” by Emily Dickinson (1896)



Although Dickinson wrote the poem in 1862, this poem was posthumously published in the third collection of Emily Dickinson’s poetry. The poem features some of the same stylistic and syntactical features of Dickinson’s poetry which appear in “Success is counted sweetest,” such as capitalized common nouns and the use of dashes. The themes of “I heard a Fly buzz - when I died -” touch upon mortality and the purpose of life.

‘“Hope” is the thing with feathers’ by Emily Dickinson (1891)

“Hope is the thing with feathers” first appeared in 1891 in the second collection of Dickinson’s work, published posthumously. As with “I heard a Fly buzz - when I died -”, this particular work features Dickinson’s signature punctuation and other stylistic devices. Like the poem “Success is counted sweetest,” this poem makes an abstract and intangible noun such as “hope” more comprehensible for readers. In this text, the poet equates the experience of hope with a living creature.

“The Bustle in a House” by Emily Dickinson (1890)

Originally titled “Aftermath,” this poem appears in the first collection of Dickinson’s poetry published after her death.