Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 - May 15, 1886) is the 19th century American author of ‘Nature rarer uses yellow.’ Little known or recognized for her poetry during her lifetime she became well recognized as one of the most important figures in American poetry after her death.

Like many of her poems, this one is but two stanzas:

Nature rarer uses yellow

Than another hue;

Saves she all of that for sunsets,-

Prodigal of blue,

Spending scarlet like a woman,

Yellow she affords

Only scantly and selectly,

Like a lover’s words.

Historians, commentaries and critics consistently identify her life and persona as one lived in isolation and eccentricity. Examples include her penchant for white clothing and her reluctance to meet and greet guests. Later in her adult life, she was known to not even leave her bedroom. She never married and her preferred method of developing friendships was entirely through correspondence.

A prolific writer, only 10 of her nearly 1,800 poems and one letter were published during her lifetime. When her poems were published after her death, they required editing to fit the conventions of poetic rules of the era.

Her unique style included short lines, typically lacked titles, and often used slant rhymes (a type of rhyme formed by words with similar but not identical sounds). She also used unconventional capitalization and punctuation. This short poem is an example of her unique writing style.

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