Search Results for: by hand

< Return to Emily Dickinson Poems XIII. The Moon Is Distant From the Sea The moon is distant from the sea, And yet with amber hands She leads him, docile as a boy, Along appointed sands. He never misses a degree; Obedient to her eye, He comes just so far toward the town, Just so […]

< Return to Emily Dickinson Poems XI. The Lovers THE LOVERS. The rose did caper on her cheek, Her bodice rose and fell, Her pretty speech, like drunken men, Did stagger pitiful. Her fingers fumbled at her work, — Her needle would not go; What ailed so smart a little maid It puzzled me to […]

< Return to Emily Dickinson Poems VII. Wild nights! Wild nights! Wild nights! Were I with thee, Wild nights should be Our luxury! Futile the winds To a heart in port, — Done with the compass, Done with the chart. Rowing in Eden! Ah! the sea! Might I but moor To-night in thee! -Emily Dickinson […]

< Return to Emily Dickinson Poems V. Going to Him THE LETTER. “Going to him! Happy letter! Tell him — Tell him the page I didn’t write; Tell him I only said the syntax, And left the verb and the pronoun out. Tell him just how the fingers hurried, Then how they waded, slow, slow, […]

< Return to Emily Dickinson Poems IV. I Gave Myself To Him THE CONTRACT. I gave myself to him, And took himself for pay. The solemn contract of a life Was ratified this way. The wealth might disappoint, Myself a poorer prove Than this great purchaser suspect, The daily own of Love Depreciate the vision; […]

< Return to Emily Dickinson Poems III. Your Riches Taught Me Poverty Your riches taught me poverty. Myself a millionnaire In little wealths, — as girls could boast, — Till broad as Buenos Ayre, You drifted your dominions A different Peru; And I esteemed all poverty, For life’s estate with you. Of mines I little […]

< Return to Emily Dickinson Poems II. I Have No Life But This I have no life but this, To lead it here; Nor any death, but lest Dispelled from there; Nor tie to earths to come, Nor action new, Except through this extent, The realm of you. -Emily Dickinson Enjoy Artistic Representations of “I […]

< Return to Emily Dickinson Poems XXXIX. I Shall Know When Time Is Over I shall know why, when time is over, And I have ceased to wonder why; Christ will explain each separate anguish In the fair schoolroom of the sky. He will tell me what Peter promised, And I, for wonder at his […]

< Return to Emily Dickinson Poems XXXVIII. Sleep Is Supposed to Be Sleep is supposed to be, By souls of sanity, The shutting of the eye. Sleep is the station grand Down which on either hand The hosts of witness stand! Morn is supposed to be, By people of degree, The breaking of the day. […]

< Return to Emily Dickinson Poems XXXVII. If I Shouldn’t Be Alive If I shouldn’t be alive When the robins come, Give the one in red cravat A memorial crumb. If I couldn’t thank you, Being just asleep, You will know I’m trying With my granite lip! -Emily Dickinson Enjoy Artistic Representations of “If I […]

< Return to Emily Dickinson Poems XXXVI. I Lost a World the Other Day LOST. I lost a world the other day. Has anybody found? You’ll know it by the row of stars Around its forehead bound. A rich man might not notice it; Yet to my frugal eye Of more esteem than ducats. Oh, […]

< Return to Emily Dickinson Poems XXXV. No Rack Can Torture Me EMANCIPATION. No rack can torture me, My soul’s at liberty Behind this mortal bone There knits a bolder one You cannot prick with saw, Nor rend with scymitar. Two bodies therefore be; Bind one, and one will flee. The eagle of his nest […]

< Return to Emily Dickinson Poems XXXI. Death Is a Dialogue Death is a dialogue between The spirit and the dust. “Dissolve,” says Death. The Spirit, “Sir, I have another trust.” Death doubts it, argues from the ground. The Spirit turns away, Just laying off, for evidence, An overcoat of clay. -Emily Dickinson Enjoy Artistic […]

< Return to Emily Dickinson Poems XXX. Except To Heaven She Is Nought Except to heaven, she is nought; Except for angels, lone; Except to some wide-wandering bee, A flower superfluous blown; Except for winds, provincial; Except by butterflies, Unnoticed as a single dew That on the acre lies. The smallest housewife in the grass, […]

< Return to Emily Dickinson Poems XXV. The Sun Kept Setting DYING. The sun kept setting, setting still; No hue of afternoon Upon the village I perceived, — From house to house ‘t was noon. The dusk kept dropping, dropping still; No dew upon the grass, But only on my forehead stopped, And wandered in […]

< Return to Emily Dickinson Poems XXIII. I Reason, Earth is Short I reason, earth is short, And anguish absolute, And many hurt; But what of that? I reason, we could die: The best vitality Cannot excel decay; But what of that? I reason that in heaven Somehow, it will be even, Some new equation […]

< Return to Emily Dickinson Poems XXII. The Bustle of a House The bustle in a house The morning after death Is solemnest of industries Enacted upon earth, — The sweeping up the heart, And putting love away We shall not want to use again Until eternity. -Emily Dickinson Enjoy Artistic Representations of “The Bustle […]

< Return to Emily Dickinson Poems XX. The Last Night That She Lived The last night that she lived, It was a common night, Except the dying; this to us Made nature different. We noticed smallest things, — Things overlooked before, By this great light upon our minds Italicized, as ‘t were. That others could […]

< Return to Emily Dickinson Poems XIX. To Know Just How He Suffered To know just how he suffered would be dear; To know if any human eyes were near To whom he could intrust his wavering gaze, Until it settled firm on Paradise. To know if he was patient, part content, Was dying as […]