I Taste a Liquor Never Brewed- by Emily Dickinson | Structure, Summary, Analysis

Hello and welcome to the Discourse. ‘I Taste a Liquor Never Brewed-’ is one of the few poems by Emily Dickinson that was published during her lifetime. The poem was first published in the Springfield Daily Republican on May 4, 1861, under the title The May-Wine. However, the title was chosen by the publisher as Emily never titled the poem and thus, it was reprinted in her posthumous poetry collection ‘Poems by Emily Dickinson,’ with the first line as the title.

It is a nature poem in which Emily appreciates the beauty of nature on a glorious summer day. The poem begins with a paradox as a liquor is tasted that was never brewed. The poet used the imagery of alcohol and drunkenness to express the enchanting powers of nature. Emily Dickinson wrote the poem in 1860 during the period of Temperance in the United States. The first line suggests the gist of the Temperance movement as both completely drunk and completely temperate ("a liquor never brewed").

Structure of ‘I Taste a Liquor Never Brewed’:

Like most of her other poems, Dickinson wrote ‘I Taste a Liquor Never Brewed’ in ballad meter with iambic lines that alternate four and three beats. The poem contains 16 lines composed in four stanzas of four lines each (the poem has four quatrains). A ballad is a kind of verse, sometimes narrative in nature, often set to music. The poetess used slant rhyme, dashes, and idiosyncratic capitalization. The slant rhyme is because of the use of words with similar but not identical sounds. In addition, the poetess constantly used the pronoun “I” to show how she connects to nature. An extended metaphor has been used to compare alcoholic intoxication to her fixation with nature. She compares ‘Air’, ‘Dew’, and ‘Drams’ in lines 5,6, and 11 respectively with liquor. Dram is a metaphor for the nectar that the birds and butterflies feed on. Dickinson used imagery to express her views on nature and time and her religious views.

Summary of ‘I Taste a Liquor Never Brewed’:

Stanza 1 Lines 1-4

“I taste a liquor never brewed –
From Tankards scooped in Pearl –
Not all the Frankfort Berries
Yield such an Alcohol!”

The poetess begins with a paradox and a metaphor. The poet talks about the exhilarating taste and effect of a liquor (that was never brewed), a paradox. It symbolizes that she is talking about something more powerful and intoxicating than actual liquor. She uses imagery in the second line to signify the purity of her liquor that was never brewed and expresses it as “Tankards scooped in Pearl.” She further clarifies that it is not some normal liquor as it cannot be produced by the ‘Frankfort Berries.’ The poet used Capitalization to stress some words and ideas.

Stanza 2 Lines 5-8

“Inebriate of air – am I –
And Debauchee of Dew –
Reeling – thro’ endless summer days –
From inns of molten Blue –“

The poetess clarifies the mystery regarding the ‘liquor’ that was never brewed. She uses imagery again in line 5, and line 6 again. ‘Inebriated of air’ suggests intoxicated by breathing in fresh air and ‘Debauchee of Dew’ suggests, turned on by the dew. In line 8, she mentions ‘inns of molten Blue’ the color of the sky. The poetess begins in first person (‘I’) and suggests her strong connection with the surroundings and nature. She uses strong imagery of nature. She is ‘inebriate’ and ‘debauchee’ of natural elements. A ‘Debauchee’ is someone who is addicted to alcohol, or sensual pleasures; therefore, she is so drunk, so deep in the effect of nature, that she is staggering and losing herself.

The metaphor 'Inebriate of Air' is to be exhilarated, excited, and overwhelmingly delighted by summer skies. The 'Debauchee of Air' is a fantasy, and it is a delightful image. It is, in fact, an image of delight embodied.

The poetess increases the grandeur of the surroundings by suggesting that she feels she is drinking in grand inns of ‘molten Blue’ during the endless summer days. In this stanza, the poetess doesn’t emphasize the drink like she did in the first stanza, rather she highlights the elements of nature.

Stanza 3 Lines 9-12

“When ‘Landlords’ turn the drunken Bee
Out of the Foxglove’s door –
When Butterflies – renounce their ‘drams’ –
I shall but drink the more!”

The poetess continues the imagery she developed in the second stanza and talks about the ‘Landlords’ of the ‘inns of molten Blue.’ In this stanza, the poetess offers equal importance to the drink and the natural elements. She compares herself with a ‘bee’ and ‘butterflies.’ A Foxglove’s door is again imagery suggesting a beautiful purple flower that attracts bees. Another imagery is ‘Drams’ in the 11^th line. Dram means a small drink of liquor and she compares it with the nectar that birds bees and butterflies feed on.

The innkeeper or the 'landlords' force the drunken bee away from the beautiful flower full of pollens. No one can possess the natural things forever. When the butterflies have had their fill of nectar, they will renounce it but the poetess will go on enjoying nature's abundance. It is the power of her creative imagination that will keep the scene alive in her mind even during the dying phase of summer.

Stanza 4 Lines 13-16

“Till Seraphs swing their snowy Hats –
And Saints – to windows run –
To see the little Tippler
Leaning against the – Sun!”

The fourth stanza seems to turn the poetess’ connection with nature to a spiritual level and hence, she uses various mystique figures including ‘Seraphs’, and ‘Saints.’ Dickinson was influenced by Emerson’s transcendentalism and this poem has been compared to Emerson's 'Bacchus'. However, unlike Emerson’s intense pathos in Bacchus, Dickinson applied a lighter, happier note. The poetess says that she will continue to cherish nature (liquor never brewed) until the seraphs (the highest ranks of the angels) and saints notice her, that is, she won’t stop drinking until she dies.

So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of American English Literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!