I Reason, Earth Is Short

I Reason, Earth Is Short - context Summary

Published Posthumously 1890

This short Dickinson poem, published posthumously in the 1890 collection Poems by Emily Dickinson, stages a calm, impersonal reasoning about pain, death, and the hope of heavenly resolution. Each stanza states a grim premise—suffering, inevitable decay, and possible celestial balance—and returns to the same resigned question, undercutting certainty. The poem reflects Dickinson’s recurring exploration of mortality and religious doubt without asserting a definitive answer.