The farthest Thunder that I heard
Was nearer than the Sky
And rumbles still, though torrid Noons
Have lain their missiles by —
The Lightning that preceded it
Struck no one but myself —
But I would not exchange the Bolt
For all the rest of Life —
Indebtedness to Oxygen
The Happy may repay,
But not the obligation
To Electricity —
It founds the Homes and decks the Days
And every clamor bright
Is but the gleam concomitant
Of that waylaying Light —
The Thought is quiet as a Flake —
A Crash without a Sound,
How Life’s reverberation
Its Explanation found —

Analysis, meaning and summary of Emily Dickinson's poem The farthest Thunder that I heard

2 Comments

  1. leonore samstag says:

    this poem is about inspiration, which strikes the speaker like lightning and about the invention of electricity (edison, 1879), which is viewed ambivalently by the speaker. (creating “obligations”)

  2. Jessica Jolley says:

    i think this poem is about how she is suffering inside but she wont tell

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