Yesterday I wrote about the various fruits mentioned in the poems of Dickinson (HERE).
The words banana, nectarine, peach, pear, blueberry, raspberry, watermelon, and melon were never used.
Strawberry and blackberry (split as “black berry”) were each used in one poem – as was apricot.
Dickinson used the word “fruit” in three poems, “apple” in eleven poems, and “berry” (or “berries”) in fourteen different poems; however, that number changes depending upon the volume of Dickinson’s poems you check.
For example, the most famous first line that jumped out at me as I looked into this was “I taste a liquor never brewed.” In the Franklin and Miller editions of “complete poems,” the third and fourth lines of the poem read, “Not all the Frankfort Berries / Yield such an Alcohol.”
However, those lines in the Johnson edition of Dickinson’s poems state, “Not all the Vats upon the Rhine / Yield such an Alcohol.” The word “berries” never appears in the poem.
See below for the variations of the poem in the different publications – I’ve highlighted the changes. Also, this poem was first published in the Springfield Daily Republican in 1861 – and at that time the editors changed lines 3 and 4 significantly. Take a look! : )
The words banana, nectarine, peach, pear, blueberry, raspberry, watermelon, and melon were never used.
Strawberry and blackberry (split as “black berry”) were each used in one poem – as was apricot.
Dickinson used the word “fruit” in three poems, “apple” in eleven poems, and “berry” (or “berries”) in fourteen different poems; however, that number changes depending upon the volume of Dickinson’s poems you check.
For example, the most famous first line that jumped out at me as I looked into this was “I taste a liquor never brewed.” In the Franklin and Miller editions of “complete poems,” the third and fourth lines of the poem read, “Not all the Frankfort Berries / Yield such an Alcohol.”
However, those lines in the Johnson edition of Dickinson’s poems state, “Not all the Vats upon the Rhine / Yield such an Alcohol.” The word “berries” never appears in the poem.
See below for the variations of the poem in the different publications – I’ve highlighted the changes. Also, this poem was first published in the Springfield Daily Republican in 1861 – and at that time the editors changed lines 3 and 4 significantly. Take a look! : )
 | And speaking of poems that were published in Dickinson’s lifetime, I forgot to mention something a few days ago when I posted & discussed Dickinson’s poem “Success is counted sweetest." (HERE). That poem is discussed on its own page on Wikipedia, and there the editors state that it is “one of only SEVEN poems published during her lifetime” (I added the caps). However, the true number is TEN. Dickinson scholars thought the number was seven until the early 1980s when someone discovered three of Dickinson’s poems had been published in the Civil War era communication “The Drum Beat.” Hmm…someone at Wikipedia needs to update this information. : ) |
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