Showing posts with label Emily Dickinson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Emily Dickinson. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Dickinson's Diction

I've always admired Emily Dickinson for her precise word choice--so evocative, so right. She's a role model for any writer. Here's one that I like for its use of adjectives. It also make me wonder about the world in Dickinson's time. Was it common to stargaze then? Was the sky, without the distraction of endless earthly lights, something spectacular to see? (Even more spectacular than now, I mean). One wonders . . .

LIGHTLY STEPPED A YELLOW STAR

Lightly stepped a yellow star
To its lofty place.
Loosed the moon her silver hat
From her lustral face.
All of evening softly lit
As an astral hall.
"Father," I observed to Heaven,
"You are punctual."