Only God Detect the Sorrow

Only God Detect the Sorrow - fact Summary

First Printed 1890

This brief lyric asserts that only God can perceive true sorrow, and that each person of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Spirit—bears a distinct, trustworthy role in holding that sorrow. The poem compresses theology and personal confidence into terse lines, treating inward grief as a matter exclusively between the soul and God. It reflects Dickinson’s compact, introspective spirituality and her habit of addressing divine assurance.