American poet Emily Dickinson (pictured above) died on May 15, 1886 at the age of 55. She wrote over 1800 poems in her lifetime, but she published none of them. Seven were published anonymously before her death, probably without her permission. After Emily died, her sister Lavinia discovered dozens of handmade notebooks in a bureau drawer, recognized their value, and set out to get them published. The first book of Dickinson’s poems was published in 1890. A complete collection of her poems was not published until 1955. Today, she is considered one of the most important and influential of all American poets.
Emily’s religious faith was intense, but enigmatic; like her entire personality and life. She had a deep spiritual longing, but disliked formal organized religion (much to the dismay of her strict Puritan parents). Her faith was private and the views she did express could be quite unorthodox, but her biographer said she was perhaps the “most religious person in town.” She knew her Bible well, interpreted it freely, struggled with doubt, and had a deep longing and hope for eternal life.
Many of Emily Dickinson’s poems touch on spiritual themes, but they require some thought and some study, and even then, are often difficult to understand. Here are three examples.
I Never Saw a Moor
I never saw a Moor—
I never saw the Sea—
Yet know I how the Heather looks
And what a Billow be.
I never spoke with God
Nor visited in Heaven—
Yet certain am I of the spot
As if the Checks were given—
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The concluding line to : This World is not a Conclusion
Narcotics cannot still the Tooth,
that nibbles at the soul.
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Just a few hours before her death, Emily Dickinson wrote a last letter to her younger cousins. It was a letter she knew they would not receive before she died. The letter was brief, simple, and profound, like her poetry. It said only this, “Little cousins, Called back. Emily Dickinson.” In spite of her many unconventional religious beliefs, she knew that she was not just dying; she was being ‘called back.’ She could have written, “Little cousins, by the time you get this, I will be dead and buried.” But she wrote a more hopeful message, reflecting the words of Jesus in John 14:3: “I will come back and take you to be with me.” Her brother had those words engraved on her tombstone in Amherst, Massachusetts.
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Footnote: The best-known poet in the world today is probably Taylor Swift, who is distantly related to Emily Dickinson. They are sixth cousins, three times removed (in case you know how that works).
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John 14:1-3 — (Jesus said), “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
Revelation 22:20 — He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Philippians 3;20 — Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Ancient Prayer for Eternal Rest (The Requiem Prayer):
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
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