Emily Dickinson's "I had been hungry, all the Years" explores what happens when someone gets exactly what they want. The poem's speaker has been starving their whole life, pressing their nose up against the windows of people who have plenty to eat. But when the speaker is finally presented with a full table, they find they've lost their appetite: their satisfied desire only leaves them feeling "ill—and odd." A fulfilled desire, this poem wryly observes, can feel an awful lot like a loss. This poem first appeared in the posthumous collection Poems (1891).
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1I had been hungry, all the Years—
2My Noon had Come—to dine—
3I trembling drew the Table near—
4And touched the Curious Wine—
5’Twas this on Tables I had seen—
6When turning, hungry, Home
7I looked in Windows, for the Wealth
8I could not hope—for Mine—
9I did not know the ample Bread—
10’Twas so unlike the Crumb
11The Birds and I, had often shared
12In Nature’s—Dining Room—
13The Plenty hurt me—’twas so new—
14Myself felt ill—and odd—
15As Berry—of a Mountain Bush—
16Transplanted—to a Road—
17Nor was I hungry—so I found
18That Hunger—was a way
19Of Persons outside Windows—
20The Entering—takes away—
1I had been hungry, all the Years—
2My Noon had Come—to dine—
3I trembling drew the Table near—
4And touched the Curious Wine—
5’Twas this on Tables I had seen—
6When turning, hungry, Home
7I looked in Windows, for the Wealth
8I could not hope—for Mine—
9I did not know the ample Bread—
10’Twas so unlike the Crumb
11The Birds and I, had often shared
12In Nature’s—Dining Room—
13The Plenty hurt me—’twas so new—
14Myself felt ill—and odd—
15As Berry—of a Mountain Bush—
16Transplanted—to a Road—
17Nor was I hungry—so I found
18That Hunger—was a way
19Of Persons outside Windows—
20The Entering—takes away—
I had been hungry, all the Years—
My Noon had Come—to dine—
I trembling drew the Table near—
And touched the Curious Wine—
’Twas this on Tables I had seen—
When turning, hungry, Home
I looked in Windows, for the Wealth
I could not hope—for Mine—
I did not know the ample Bread—
’Twas so unlike the Crumb
The Birds and I, had often shared
In Nature’s—Dining Room—
The Plenty hurt me—’twas so new—
Myself felt ill—and odd—
As Berry—of a Mountain Bush—
Transplanted—to a Road—
Nor was I hungry—so I found
That Hunger—was a way
Of Persons outside Windows—
The Entering—takes away—
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
The Emily Dickinson Museum — Visit the website of the Emily Dickinson Museum to find a treasure trove of information on Dickinson's life and work.
Dickinson's Influence — Listen to the contemporary writer Jo Shapcott discussing how important Dickinson has been to her.
The Poem Aloud — Listen to a reading of the poem.
The Poem in Manuscript — Take a look at Dickinson's handwritten copy of the poem.