Margaret's Pick
1720
Had I known that the first was the last
I should have kept it longer.
Had I known that the last was the first
I should have drunk it stronger.
Cup, it was your fault,
Lip was not the liar.
No, lip, it was yours,
Bliss was most to blame.
I just think this poem is so funny! It's such a brilliant twist on that biblical phrase, "the first shall be last and the last shall be first," but turning it into being about drinking too quickly/not having enough in your glass. It showcases Dickinson's humor and her skepticism about church. The last bit seems almost unedited (is it lip's fault or isn't it?) and the lack of a rhyme in the final line makes it land with a thud, but the first four lines delighted me so much I had to bring it up.
Had I known that the first was the last
I should have kept it longer.
Had I known that the last was the first
I should have drunk it stronger.
Cup, it was your fault,
Lip was not the liar.
No, lip, it was yours,
Bliss was most to blame.
I just think this poem is so funny! It's such a brilliant twist on that biblical phrase, "the first shall be last and the last shall be first," but turning it into being about drinking too quickly/not having enough in your glass. It showcases Dickinson's humor and her skepticism about church. The last bit seems almost unedited (is it lip's fault or isn't it?) and the lack of a rhyme in the final line makes it land with a thud, but the first four lines delighted me so much I had to bring it up.
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