As old as Woe —
How old is that?
Some eighteen thousand years —
As old as Bliss
How old is that
They are of equal years
Together chiefest they ard found
But seldom side by side
From neither of them tho’ he try
Can Human nature hide
As old as Woe —
Analysis, meaning and summary of Emily Dickinson's poem As old as Woe —
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One can infer that from a baseline analysis. Dear old Emily is personifying each side of the dynamic of emotion. Good and bad emotions- like twins- are kin of the same mother. Though seldom “side by side”. They will always be interrelated and in perfect balance. As Humans, these emotions are universal truth, and despite the short-winded endeavors of man, we can never hide from it.
Another more religious deduction might be drawn from the poem as well. The archaic nature of the described “good and bad” possibly indicative of the conflict between God and Satan. the “he” in tho’ he try could be Christ. It could even be interpreted as Adam.
But to the extent of a cursory analysis, I’d deduct that the poem tackles the duality of human emotion in all it’s forms. That’s the most sound conclusion