This is my last daily post until about July 17th or so – I’ll be travelling. As part of my trip, I’m attending a concert at Madison Square Garden with Lionel Ritchie and Earth Wind & Fire.
Hmm…if you know me, then you won’t be surprised – I wondered which Dickinson mentioned most often in her poems – earth, wind or fire.
EARTH:
When it came to heavenly bodies, Dickinson most often referred to the sun – “sun” appears in 164 poems – followed by “star” in 63 poems. “Earth” comes in third, appearing in 58 poems, and our satellite, the moon, shows up in 23 poems. Other heavenly orbs appear in other poems, including Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and a handful of other astronomical bodies.
One of my favorites of the “earth” poems is “Frequently the woods are pink.” Interestingly, you can see from line 9 of Dickinson’s manuscript that she almost said, “And the world – they tell me / On its axis turned” instead of “And the earth,” but she crossed out the word “world” rather forcefully and replaced it with “earth” (which I think works better).
I set this poem to music in a song called “Wonderful Rotation!” – the title taken from line 11 of the poem.
EARTH:
When it came to heavenly bodies, Dickinson most often referred to the sun – “sun” appears in 164 poems – followed by “star” in 63 poems. “Earth” comes in third, appearing in 58 poems, and our satellite, the moon, shows up in 23 poems. Other heavenly orbs appear in other poems, including Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and a handful of other astronomical bodies.
One of my favorites of the “earth” poems is “Frequently the woods are pink.” Interestingly, you can see from line 9 of Dickinson’s manuscript that she almost said, “And the world – they tell me / On its axis turned” instead of “And the earth,” but she crossed out the word “world” rather forcefully and replaced it with “earth” (which I think works better).
I set this poem to music in a song called “Wonderful Rotation!” – the title taken from line 11 of the poem.
WIND:
As far as weather-related terms are concerned, “wind” tops the list – it appears in at least 80 poems (and “windy” in two more). Coming behind the wind, are “snow” (57 poems) and “frost” (40 poems). “Cloud” appears in 26 poems, and “lightning” and “storm” each appear in 15 works. Of course, there are a whole host of other weather-related terms in other poems including “ice,” “rain,” “sleet,” “thunder,” and more.
Admittedly, I researched all of these terms back in 2022, and this week, when I went to double-check my work on the Dickinson archive and searched the word “wind,” the results included 172 entries – and the plural “winds” generated 118 – so it was too much to sift through at this time; therefore, let’s suffice it to say that Dickinson used “wind” in 80 poems or more.
For some of Dickinson’s most famous poems of wind, check out my post from February 2025, HERE.
FIRE:
| A search for the word “fire” on the Dickinson archive generated 61 results representing 25 poems, 22 of which used the word “fire.” I also checked for the plural, “fires.” That search brought up 18 results representing 7 poems, 3 of which includes the word “fires.” Therefore, the words “fire” & “fires” appear in 25 different poems. One of my favorite “fire” poems is “The largest fire ever known.” Interestingly, it’s not about a fire; instead, it’s about the sunset, a glorious daily natural phenomenon that is all too often overlooked “without concern." |  |
Then, take a look at Helen Vendler’s discussion of “Ashes denote that Fire was” from the introduction to her book Dickinson, Selected Poems and Commentaries:
Wow. Just – wow.
I feel as if the top of my head were taken off.* I have to catch my breath and compose myself.
I feel as if the top of my head were taken off.* I have to catch my breath and compose myself.
Okay, I've steadied my nerves and regained my composure -- so to recap today's tally:
EARTH: 58 poems
WIND: 80-plus poems
FIRE: 25 poems
Now, what about Dickinson's use of “boogie,” “wonder,” and “land.” LOL – I’ll save that research for another day! See you later this month!
EARTH: 58 poems
WIND: 80-plus poems
FIRE: 25 poems
Now, what about Dickinson's use of “boogie,” “wonder,” and “land.” LOL – I’ll save that research for another day! See you later this month!
* When asked by Thomas Wentworth Higginson to define poetry, Dickinson wrote, "If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry. These are the only ways I know it. Is there any other way?"
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