Mine Enemy Is Growing Old
time
transformation
lyric poem
bitter
MINE enemy is growing old, I have at last revenge. The palate of the hate departs; If any would avenge, Let him be quick, the viand flits, It is a faded meat. Anger as soon as fed is dead; ‘T is starving makes it fat.
Mine Enemy Is Growing Old - meaning Summary
Revenge by Neglect
Dickinson presents a compact meditation on revenge and the life-cycle of hate. The speaker finds that an enemy’s aging brings its own retribution, while the appetite for vengeance fades. Using the image of a meal, the poem argues that anger dies when fed and grows when starved: tending to wrath consumes it, whereas neglect lets it fester. The closing paradox advises against nourishing grievance if one seeks peace.
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