The heart asks pleasure first

by Emily Dickinson

A complete poem from Poems by Emily Dickinson, Three Series. Original wording and verse line breaks are preserved.

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Poetry Classic literature Poems by Emily Dickinson, Three Series

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01The heart asks pleasure first~1 min

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The heart asks pleasure first, And then, excuse from pain; And then, those little anodynes That deaden suffering; And then, to go to sleep; And then, if it should be The will of its Inquisitor, The liberty to die.

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About this edition

Text source: Project Gutenberg
Author: Emily Dickinson
Language: English
Text rights: Public domain — original text
Credit: Emily Dickinson, “The heart asks pleasure first”, from Poems by Emily Dickinson, Three Series. Original public-domain poem; source Project Gutenberg #12242. This historical edition’s wording is retained. Surrounding anthology, editorial material and illustrations omitted; text reformatted for reading. Source metadata identifies public domain in the USA.

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