I died for Beauty—but was scarce Summary & Analysis
by Emily Dickinson

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Written around 1862 and published posthumously in 1890, "I died for Beauty—but was scarce" is one of Emily Dickinson's most haunting and well-known poems. The speaker, a cryptic voice from the afterlife, "die[s] for Beauty" and is buried next to a man who "died for Truth." The two martyrs forge a friendship, but their dialogue soon ends as their voices and identities fade into oblivion. The poem weighs idealism against the stark reality of death, emphasizing that death is far more permanent than the ideals people die for.

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