Emily Dickinson

For Death — or rather
For the Things ‘twould buy —
This — put away
Life’s Opportunity —

The Things that Death will buy
Are Room —
Escape from Circumstances —
And a Name —

With Gifts of Life
How Death’s Gifts may compare —
We know not —
For the Rates — lie Here —
-Emily Dickinson

Forbidden Fruit a flavor has
That lawful Orchards mocks —
How luscious lies within the Pod
The Pea that Duty locks —
-Emily Dickinson

For each ecstatic instant
We must an anguish pay
In keen and quivering ration
To the ecstasy.

For each beloved hour
Sharp pittances of years —
Bitter contested farthings —
And Coffers heaped with Tears!
-Emily Dickinson

Forever — it composed of Nows —
‘Tis not a different time —
Except for Infiniteness —
And Latitude of Home —

From this — experienced Here —
Remove the Dates — to These —
Let Months dissolve in further Months —
And Years — exhale in Years —

Without Debate — or Pause —
Or Celebrated Days —
No different Our Years would be
From Anno Domini’s —

Forever at His side to walk —
The smaller of the two!
Brain of His Brain —
Blood of His Blood —
Two lives — One Being — now —

Forever of His fate to taste —
If grief — the largest part —
If joy — to put my piece away
For that beloved Heart —

All life — to know each other —
Whom we can never learn —
And bye and bye — a Change —
Called Heaven

Forever honored by the Tree
Whose Apple Winterworn
Enticed to Breakfast from the Sky
Two Gabriels Yestermorn.

They registered in Nature’s Book
As Robins — Sire and Son —
But Angels have that modest way
To screen them from Renown.
-Emily Dickinson

For every Bird a Nest —
Wherefore in timid quest
Some little Wren goes seeking round —

Wherefore when boughs are free —
Households in every tree —
Pilgrim be found?

Perhaps a home too high —
Ah Aristocracy!
The little Wren desires —

Perhaps of twig so fine —
Of twine e’en superfine,
Her pride aspires —

The Lark is not ashamed
To build upon the ground
Her modest house —

Yet who of all the throng
Dancing around the sun
Does so rejoice?

Forget! The lady with the Amulet
Forget she wore it at her Heart
Because she breathed against
Was Treason twixt?

Deny! Did Rose her Bee —
For Privilege of Play
Or Wile of Butterfly
Or Opportunity — Her Lord away?

The lady with the Amulet — will face —
The Bee — in Mausoleum laid —
Discard his Bride —
But longer than the little Rill —
That cooled the Forehead of the Hill —
While Other — went the Sea to

For largest Woman’s Hearth I knew —
‘Tis little I can do —
And yet the largest Woman’s Heart
Could hold an Arrow — too —
And so, instructed by my own,
I tenderer, turn Me to.
-Emily Dickinson

For this — accepted Breath —
Through it — compete with Death —
The fellow cannot touch this Crown —
By it — my title take —
Ah, what a royal sake
To my necessity — stooped down!

No Wilderness — can be
Where this attendeth me —
No Desert Noon —
No fear of frost to come
Haunt the perennial bloom —
But Certain June!

Get Gabriel — to tell — the royal syllable —
Get Saints — with new —

Fortitude incarnate
Here is laid away
In the swift Partitions
Of the awful Sea –

Babble of the Happy
Cavil of the Bold
Hoary the Fruition
But the Sea is old

Edifice of Ocean
Thy tumultuous Rooms
Suit me at a venture
Better than the Tombs
-Emily Dickinson

Four Trees — upon a solitary Acre —
Without Design
Or Order, or Apparent Action —
Maintain —

The Sun — upon a Morning meets them —
The Wind —
No nearer Neighbor — have they —
But God —

The Acre gives them — Place —
They — Him — Attention of Passer by —
Of Shadow, or of Squirrel, haply —
Or Boy —

What Deed is Theirs unto the General Nature —
What Plan
They severally — retard — or

Frequently the wood are pink —
Frequently are brown.
Frequently the hills undress
Behind my native town.
Oft a head is crested
I was wont to see —
And as oft a cranny
Where it used to be —
And the Earth — they tell me —
On its Axis turned!
Wonderful Rotation!
By but twelve performed!
-Emily Dickinson

Frigid and sweet Her parting Face —
Frigid and fleet my Feet —
Alien and vain whatever Clime
Acrid whatever Fate.

Given to me without the Suit
Riches and Name and Realm —
Who was She to withhold from me
Penury and Home?
-Emily Dickinson

From Blank to Blank –
A Threadless Way
I pushed Mechanic feet –
To stop — or perish — or advance –
Alike indifferent –

If end I gained
It ends beyond
Indefinite disclosed –
I shut my eyes — and groped as well
‘Twas lighter — to be Blind —
-Emily Dickinson

From Cocoon forth a Butterfly
As Lady from her Door
Emerged — a Summer Afternoon —
Repairing Everywhere —

Without Design — that I could trace
Except to stray abroad
On Miscellaneous Enterprise
The Clovers — understood —

Her pretty Parasol be seen
Contracting in a Field
Where Men made Hay —
Then struggling hard
With an opposing Cloud —

Where Parties — Phantom as Herself —
To Nowhere — seemed to go
In purposeless Circumference —
As ’twere a Tropic Show —

And notwithstanding Bee

From Us She wandered now a Year,
Her tarrying, unknown,
If Wilderness prevent her feet
Or that Ethereal Zone

No eye hath seen and lived
We ignorant must be —
We only know what time of Year
We took the Mystery.

-Emily Dickinson

From all the Jails the Boys and Girls
Ecstatically leap —
Beloved only Afternoon
That Prison doesn’t keep

They storm the Earth and stun the Air,
A Mob of solid Bliss —
Alas — that Frowns should lie in wait
For such a Foe as this —
-Emily Dickinson

From his slim Palace in the Dust
He relegates the Realm,
More loyal for the exody
That has befallen him.
-Emily Dickinson

Funny — to be a Century —
And see the People — going by —
I — should die of the Oddity —
But then — I’m not so staid — as He —

He keeps His Secrets safely — very —
Were He to tell — extremely sorry
This Bashful Globe of Ours would be —
So dainty of Publicity —

Further in Summer than the Birds
Pathetic from the Grass
A minor Nation celebrates
Its unobtrusive Mass.

No Ordinance be seen
So gradual the Grace
A pensive Custom it becomes
Enlarging Loneliness.

Antiquest felt at Noon
When August burning low
Arise this spectral Canticle
Repose to typify

Remit as yet no Grace
No Furrow on the Glow
Yet a Druidic Difference
Enhances Nature now
-Emily Dickinson

Garland for Queens, may be —
Laurels — for rare degree
Of soul or sword.
Ah — but remembering me —
Ah — but remembering thee —
Nature in chivalry —
Nature in charity —
Nature in equity —
This Rose ordained!
-Emily Dickinson

Gathered into the Earth,
And out of story —
Gathered so that strange Fame —
That lonesome Glory
That hath no omen here — but Awe —
-Emily Dickinson

Give little Anguish —
Lives will fret —
Give Avalanches —
And they’ll slant —
Straighten — look cautious for their Breath —
But make no syllable — like Death —
Who only shows the Marble Disc —
Sublimer sort — than Speech –
-Emily Dickinson

Given in Marriage unto Thee
Oh thou Celestial Host —
Bride of the Father and the Son
Bride of the Holy Ghost.

Other Betrothal shall dissolve —
Wedlock of Will, decay —
Only the Keeper of this Ring
Conquer Mortality –
-Emily Dickinson