by Emily Dickinson


This simple poem reveals Dickinson's fascination with reading. To her, there is nothing quite adventurous as a good book. She makes the case that there is no means of transportation that can take somebody "…lands away" (line two) like a literary work. Dickinson goes on to say that regardless of one's financial status, they have the same ability to take "This traverse…" (line five). In short, Dickinson is fascinated and happy with the way words can move a person. She views reading as a gift to humans, a gift that is beyond wealth. To her, the ability to read is the greatest gift of all.

Dickinson makes a reference to some sort of transportation in every other line. She does this to juxtapose the places books take you with the necessary physical means required to venture to the same place. The poem is written in upbeat manner, with the final four lines of the poem providing an enjambment-like effect. This upbeat style of writing coincides with the excitement Dickinson feels that when reading about an exciting event or something that awakens her adventurous nature.

The theme of this poem is that the imagination, spawned by a fascinating work of literature, is better than any physical trip to the same location because in the imagination, anything is possible.