1. “I taste a liquor
never brewed”
By: Emily Dickinson
Analysis by: Christina Quaglia
2. Stanza 1
I taste a liquor never brewed-
From Tankards scooped in Pearl-
Not all the Vats upon the Rhine
Yield such an Alcohol!
Summary: The speaker refers to the exhilarating effect of a “liquor
never brewed” suggesting that it symbolizes something more
powerful than actual liquor. Not even the “Vats” (large tubs or tanks
that contain alcohol and other liquids) “upon the Rhine” (a river that
runs through Germany, which is a country famous for making beers)
contain such an exhilarating alcohol.
3. Stanza 2
Inebriate of Air- am I-
And Debauchee of Dew-
Reeling- thro endless summer days-
From inns of Molten Blue-
Summary: In stanza 2, the speaker is drunk on air and dew. A
“Debauchee” is someone addicted to alcohol or sensual
pleasures; therefore, she is so drunk that she is staggering.
In the last line she tells us that she is drinking at an inn.
4. Stanza 3
When the "Landlords" turn the drunken bee
Out of the Foxglove's door-
When Butterflies- renounce their "drams"-
I shall but drink the more!
Summary: The image of the speaker drinking at the inn continues
into stanza 3. Even when the “Landlords” of the inn kick her
out or when the butterflies “renounce” gathering nectar from
flowers she will continue to drink more. She refers to nectar as
"drams,” which means a small drink of liquor.
5. Stanza 4
Till seraphs swing their snowy Hats-
And Saints- to windows run-
To see the little Tippler
Leaning against the- Sun
Summary: In the final stanza the speaker says she will
continue drinking until seraphs (the highest ranks of angels)
and saints notice her, meaning she won’t stop drinking until
she dies.
6. Extended Metaphor
Dickinson compares alcoholic intoxication to her
fixation with nature
The liquors she names all involve nature:
“Air” (5).
“Dew” (6).
“Drams” (11). The nectar that the birds and butterflies
feed on
Develops this metaphor both literally and concretely
7. Structure
The lack of rhyme scheme goes along with the theme
of drunkenness and disorder
The constant dashes and pauses at random places
throughout each stanza also parallel the excitement
and disorder that the speaker feels when she’s thinking
about or experiencing nature
8. Capitalization
Dickinson uses capitalization to emphasize all of the
important words that refer to nature or have a double
meaning
Stanza 1: “Tankards, Pearl, Vats, Rhine, Alcohol” (1-
4).
Stanza 2: “Air, Debauchee, Dew, Molten Blue” (5-8).
Stanza 3: “Landlords, Bee, Foxglove’s, Butterflies” (9-
11).
Stanza 4: “Seraphs, Hats, Saints, Tippler, Sun” (13-16).
However, she does not capitalize the important words
in the title “I taste a liquor never brewed”
11. Nature
“Tankards scooped in Pearl”- her liquor (nature) in the
containers is pure and precious like a pearl (2).
“Inebriate of Air” – intoxicated by breathing in air (5).
“Debauchee of Dew”- turned on by the dew (6).
“inns of Molten Blue”- the inn is the color of the sky (8).
“Foxglove's door”- a beautiful pink/purple flower (10).
Dickinson uses descriptive imagery when referencing the natural
world to paint a vivid picture for her readers so we can
experience the same feeling of awe she gets in the presence of
nature
12. Time/Religious
“endless summer days” –beauty of nature is constant (7).
“seraphs swing their snowy Hats” (13).
“And Saints- to windows run” (14).
The last two stanzas suggest that the speaker will be intoxicated
by nature forever. The religious imagery of the saints and
seraphs symbolize those she will meet in heaven.
Moreover, the beauty of nature will only fade when she
dies, because she won’t be able to experience it anymore.
13. Conclusion
In conclusion, this poem gives us a strong
appreciation for nature through Dickinson’s extended
metaphor of "liquor.” All of the beautiful things that
God blesses the natural word with like the “air,”
“dew,” and flowers, bring the speaker and the reader
to a state of drunken joy. It is also important to
recognize that this poem was written during the
transcendentalist period, a time when people believed
that God was in all things, especially nature. Not only
does Dickinson use her intoxication with nature as a
way to connect with God, but also her writing of
poetry to feel the connection.
14. Quote Analysis
“It is not meters, but a meter-making argument, that makes a
poem – a thought so passionate and alive that, like the spirit
of a plant or an animal, it has an architecture of its own, and
adorns nature with a new thing” (Emerson).
I thought this quote best described “I taste a liquor never
brewed” because like Emerson suggests, it is not the structure
that makes a poem, but rather its content. In Dickinson’s
case, it is the complex extended metaphor and all of the vivid
and passionate nature imagery within the content of her
poem that makes her argument so powerful.
