Emily Dickinson

A Book

Summary


"A Book" is a short poem by Emily Dickinson that follows a reader who devours words as if they were food and drink. Poor and bound to a frail body, he finds his spirit growing strong. Dingy days turn into a dance, and a simple book becomes a gift of wings. In just a few lines, the poem captures the giddy rush of escape that reading brings, and the freedom of a spirit let loose.

Listen to audio


Read Online

HE ate and drank the precious words,
His spirit grew robust;
He knew no more that he was poor,
Nor that his frame was dust.
He danced along the dingy days,
And this bequest of wings
Was but a book. What liberty
A loosened spirit brings!

Add Ririro as a Preferred Source on Google
Related tags
, , , , , , ,

Credits

Emily Dickinson was a reclusive nineteenth-century American poet, famed for her compact, dash-filled verse that was mostly discovered after her death. "A Book" reflects her lifelong devotion to reading, which she often described as an escape more vivid than the world outside her Amherst home.