In regard to that quote, I am addressing those specific seven subjects in Dickinson’s poetry: snakes, flies, grass, stones, wind, rain, and the moon.
Today’s focus: Stone
In how many poems did Dickinson use the word “stone”?
Well, that depends.
If you search “stone” on the online archive, 89 entries pop up, and that represents 32 different poems. However, there are some peculiarities.
For example, in one version of “The moon was but a chin of gold,” Dickinson describes the moon’s face as “Her Forehead is of Amplest Blonde / Her Cheek – a Beryl stone.” In another version, her cheek is “a Beryl hewn.”
The Johnson, Franklin, and Miller editions of Dickinson’s poetry include “a Beryl hewn” – so should this poem NOT be included among the “stone” poems?
Then, there are different versions of “Safe in their alabaster chambers” – the second stanzas vary – but the first stanzas are the same (and include the word “stone”) – so should this count as one or two different poems? Or more? I believe there were as many as five different versions of this poem.
One odd thing about this poem is that lines 6 and 7 are reversed between the Johnson and Franklin editions of Dickinson’s “complete poems.”
Which way do you read the poem?