Tis Anguish Grander Than Delight
poem 984
death
lyric poem
somber
‘Tis Anguish grander than Delight ‘Tis Resurrection Pain The meeting Bands of smitten Face We questioned to, again. ‘Tis Transport wild as thrills the Graves When Cerements let go And Creatures clad in Miracle Go up by Two and Two.
Tis Anguish Grander Than Delight - meaning Summary
Resurrection as Painful Wonder
Dickinson presents a paradoxical vision in which joy and pain merge: the speaker calls a spiritual or awakening event more anguish than simple delight. Resurrection imagery—bands of astonished faces, graves releasing their wrappings, beings ascending in pairs—frames a moment that feels violent, ecstatic, and unsettling. The poem probes how transformative revelation can overwhelm and disorient as much as it consoles, emphasizing intensity over comfort.
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