What mystery pervades a well!

“What mystery pervades a well” is a 19th-century poem by the American writer Emily Dickinson. Though its exact year of composition is unknown, it was originally published posthumously in a larger collection of Dickinson’s work in 1896 and is generally classified as poem number 1400 out of her close to 1800 poems. “What mystery pervades a well” uses simple language and a standardized rhyme scheme and meter to explore themes of the natural world and humanity’s relationship with it.

Poet Biography

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) was a prolific American poet from Amherst, Massachusetts. Though she has posthumously become one of the most beloved poets in the American literary canon, only 10 of her poems, out of a body of work of almost 1800, were published during her lifetime. Four years after her death, her first volume of poetry was published to critical acclaim.

Dickinson was born to a prominent family in Amherst; her father was an up-and-coming lawyer who later became involved in politics. Dickinson and her siblings attended Amherst Academy, where she flourished in her studies. Here she developed a critical eye for the contemporary sciences, which is often reflected in her poetry. In particular, she became enamored with botany and was a devoted gardener all her life.