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Lyric Poem · Nature

Like Flowers, that heard the news of Dews

by Emily Dickinson

Like Flowers, that heard the news of Dews,

But never deemed the dripping prize

Awaited their — low Brows —

Or Bees — that thought the Summer's name

Some rumor of Delirium,

No Summer — could — for Them —

Or Arctic Creatures, dimly stirred —

By Tropic Hint — some Travelled Bird

Imported to the Wood —

Or Wind's bright signal to the Ear —

Making that homely, and severe,

Contented, known, before —

The Heaven — unexpected come,

To Lives that thought the Worshipping

A too presumptuous Psalm —

Full-text availability follows the United States display decision recorded below; status can differ elsewhere.

Quick facts

Poem
Like Flowers, that heard the news of Dews
Poet
Emily Dickinson
Length
15 lines
Form
Lyric Poem
Themes
Nature, Summer, Peace

Craft notes

How this poem works

Measured from the text on this page, not copied from a summary. Counts are approximate: syllables and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, which models General American English, so dialect, older pronunciation, and performance can all change what you hear.

Shape
15 lines · 4 stanzas of 3–6 lines
Line length
Lines run 6-9 syllables (median 8), consistent with tetrameter. No single length dominates, which is normal once elision and contraction are in play.

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Text, source & rights

A traceable edition

Full-text display is based on the committed source record and a United States term-expiry review.

Author record
Emily Dickinson1830–1886
Source record
PoetryDBLike Flowers, that heard the news of Dews by emily-dickinson, PoetryDB transcription
Display decision
Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
Publication record
Not recorded in the imported source
Text fingerprint
SHA-256 15d226bc27ca0e3f
Editorial handling
Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.
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