The Sweetest Heresy Received

The Sweetest Heresy Received - meaning Summary

Intimate Faith as Heresy

Dickinson presents a private, intimate bond between a man and a woman as a kind of illicit creed. The poem frames their mutual devotion as a ‘‘sweetest heresy’’ that functions like a tiny church, with a minimal ritual and unavoidable grace. The final line suggests that to fail this exclusive faith is to become an infidel, turning romantic fidelity into a solemn, quasi-religious obligation.