 | Poems by Emily Dickinson |  |
109
III.
NATURE.
111
I.
MOTHER NATURE.
Nature, the gentlest mother,
Impatient of no child,
The feeblest or the waywardest,—
Her admonition mild
Impatient of no child,
The feeblest or the waywardest,—
Her admonition mild
In forest and the hill
By traveller is heard,
Restraining rampant squirrel
Or too impetuous bird.
By traveller is heard,
Restraining rampant squirrel
Or too impetuous bird.
How fair her conversation,
A summer afternoon,—
Her household, her assembly;
And when the sun goes down
A summer afternoon,—
Her household, her assembly;
And when the sun goes down
Her voice among the aisles
Incites the timid prayer
Of the minutest cricket,
The most unworthy flower.
Incites the timid prayer
Of the minutest cricket,
The most unworthy flower.
112
When all the children sleep
She turns as long away
As will suffice to light her lamps;
Then, bending from the sky
She turns as long away
As will suffice to light her lamps;
Then, bending from the sky
With infinite affection
And infiniter care,
Her golden finger on her lip,
Wills silence everywhere.
And infiniter care,
Her golden finger on her lip,
Wills silence everywhere.
113
II.
OUT OF THE MORNING.
Will there really be a morning?
Is there such a thing as day?
Could I see it from the mountains
If I were as tall as they?
Is there such a thing as day?
Could I see it from the mountains
If I were as tall as they?
Has it feet like water-lilies?
Has it feathers like a bird?
Is it brought from famous countries
Of which I have never heard?
Has it feathers like a bird?
Is it brought from famous countries
Of which I have never heard?
Oh, some scholar! Oh, some sailor!
Oh, some wise man from the skies!
Please to tell a little pilgrim
Where the place called morning lies!
Oh, some wise man from the skies!
Please to tell a little pilgrim
Where the place called morning lies!
114
[III. At half-past three a single bird]
At half-past three a single bird
Unto a silent sky
Propounded but a single term
Of cautious melody.
Unto a silent sky
Propounded but a single term
Of cautious melody.
At half-past four, experiment
Had subjugated test,
And lo! her silver principle
Supplanted all the rest.
Had subjugated test,
And lo! her silver principle
Supplanted all the rest.
At half-past seven, element
Nor implement was seen,
And place was where the presence was,
Circumference between.
Nor implement was seen,
And place was where the presence was,
Circumference between.
115
IV.
DAY'S PARLOR.
The day came slow, till five o'clock,
Then sprang before the hills
Like hindered rubies, or the light
A sudden musket spills.
Then sprang before the hills
Like hindered rubies, or the light
A sudden musket spills.
The purple could not keep the east,
The sunrise shook from fold,
Like breadths of topaz, packed a night,
The lady just unrolled.
The sunrise shook from fold,
Like breadths of topaz, packed a night,
The lady just unrolled.
The happy winds their timbrels took;
The birds, in docile rows,
Arranged themselves around their prince
(The wind is prince of those).
The birds, in docile rows,
Arranged themselves around their prince
(The wind is prince of those).
The orchard sparkled like a Jew,—
How mighty 't was, to stay
A guest in this stupendous place,
The parlor of the day!
How mighty 't was, to stay
A guest in this stupendous place,
The parlor of the day!
116
V.
THE SUN'S WOOING.
The sun just touched the morning;
The morning, happy thing,
Supposed that he had come to dwell,
And life would be all spring.
The morning, happy thing,
Supposed that he had come to dwell,
And life would be all spring.
She felt herself supremer,—
A raised, ethereal thing;
Henceforth for her what holiday!
Meanwhile, her wheeling king
A raised, ethereal thing;
Henceforth for her what holiday!
Meanwhile, her wheeling king
Trailed slow along the orchards
His haughty, spangled hems,
Leaving a new necessity,—
The want of diadems!
His haughty, spangled hems,
Leaving a new necessity,—
The want of diadems!
The morning fluttered, staggered,
Felt feebly for her crown,—
Her unanointed forehead
Henceforth her only one.
Felt feebly for her crown,—
Her unanointed forehead
Henceforth her only one.
117
VI.
THE ROBIN.
The robin is the one
That interrupts the morn
With hurried, few, express reports
When March is scarcely on.
That interrupts the morn
With hurried, few, express reports
When March is scarcely on.
The robin is the one
That overflows the noon
With her cherubic quantity,
An April but begun.
That overflows the noon
With her cherubic quantity,
An April but begun.
The robin is the one
That speechless from her nest
Submits that home and certainty
And sanctity are best.
That speechless from her nest
Submits that home and certainty
And sanctity are best.
118
VII.
THE BUTTERFLY'S DAY.
From cocoon forth a butterfly
As lady from her door
Emerged—a summer afternoon—
Repairing everywhere,
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.
Except to stray abroad
On miscellaneous enterprise
The clovers understood.
Her pretty parasol was seen
Contracting in a field
Where men made hay, then struggling hard
With an opposing cloud,
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 't were a tropic show.
To Nowhere seemed to go
In purposeless circumference,
As 't were a tropic show.
119
And notwithstanding bee that worked,
And flower that zealous blew,
This audience of idleness
Disdained them, from the sky,
And flower that zealous blew,
This audience of idleness
Disdained them, from the sky,
Till sundown crept, a steady tide,
And men that made the hay,
And afternoon, and butterfly,
Extinguished in its sea.
And men that made the hay,
And afternoon, and butterfly,
Extinguished in its sea.
120
VIII.
THE BLUEBIRD.
Before you thought of spring,
Except as a surmise,
You see, God bless his suddenness,
A fellow in the skies
Of independent hues,
A little weather-worn,
Inspiriting habiliments
Of indigo and brown.
Except as a surmise,
You see, God bless his suddenness,
A fellow in the skies
Of independent hues,
A little weather-worn,
Inspiriting habiliments
Of indigo and brown.
With specimens of song,
As if for you to choose,
Discretion in the interval,
With gay delays he goes
To some superior tree
Without a single leaf,
And shouts for joy to nobody
But his seraphic self!
As if for you to choose,
Discretion in the interval,
With gay delays he goes
To some superior tree
Without a single leaf,
And shouts for joy to nobody
But his seraphic self!
121
IX.
APRIL.
An altered look about the hills;A Tyrian light the village fills;
A wider sunrise in the dawn;
A deeper twilight on the lawn;
A print of a vermilion foot;
A purple finger on the slope;
A flippant fly upon the pane;
A spider at his trade again;
An added strut in chanticleer;
A flower expected everywhere;
An axe shrill singing in the woods;
Fern-odors on untravelled roads,—
All this, and more I cannot tell,
A furtive look you know as well,
And Nicodemus' mystery
Receives its annual reply.
122
X.
THE SLEEPING FLOWERS.
“Whose are the little beds,” I asked,
“Which in the valleys lie?”
Some shook their heads, and others smiled,
And no one made reply.
“Which in the valleys lie?”
Some shook their heads, and others smiled,
And no one made reply.
“Perhaps they did not hear,” I said;
“I will inquire again.
Whose are the beds, the tiny beds
So thick upon the plain?”
“I will inquire again.
Whose are the beds, the tiny beds
So thick upon the plain?”
“'T is daisy in the shortest;
A little farther on,
Nearest the door to wake the first,
Little leontodon.
A little farther on,
Nearest the door to wake the first,
Little leontodon.
“'T is iris, sir, and aster,
Anemone and bell,
Batschia in the blanket red,
And chubby daffodil.”
Anemone and bell,
Batschia in the blanket red,
And chubby daffodil.”
123
Meanwhile at many cradles
Her busy foot she plied,
Humming the quaintest lullaby
That ever rocked a child.
Her busy foot she plied,
Humming the quaintest lullaby
That ever rocked a child.
“Hush! Epigea wakens!
The crocus stirs her lids,
Rhodora's cheek is crimson,—
She's dreaming of the woods.”
The crocus stirs her lids,
Rhodora's cheek is crimson,—
She's dreaming of the woods.”
Then, turning from them, reverent,
“Their bed-time 't is,” she said;
“The bumble-bees will wake them
When April woods are red.”
“Their bed-time 't is,” she said;
“The bumble-bees will wake them
When April woods are red.”
124
XI.
MY ROSE.
Pigmy seraphs gone astray,Velvet people from Vevay,
Belles from some lost summer day,
Bees' exclusive coterie.
Paris could not lay the fold
Belted down with emerald;
Venice could not show a cheek
Of a tint so lustrous meek.
Never such an ambuscade
As of brier and leaf displayed
For my little damask maid.
I had rather wear her grace
Than an earl's distinguished face;
I had rather dwell like her
Than be Duke of Exeter
Royalty enough for me
To subdue the bumble-bee!
125
XII.
THE ORIOLE'S SECRET.
To hear an oriole sing
May be a common thing,
Or only a divine.
May be a common thing,
Or only a divine.
It is not of the bird
Who sings the same, unheard,
As unto crowd.
Who sings the same, unheard,
As unto crowd.
The fashion of the ear
Attireth that it hear
In dun or fair.
Attireth that it hear
In dun or fair.
So whether it be rune,
Or whether it be none,
Is of within;
Or whether it be none,
Is of within;
The “tune is in the tree,”
The sceptic showeth me;
“No, sir! In thee!”
The sceptic showeth me;
“No, sir! In thee!”
126
XIII.
THE ORIOLE.
One of the ones that Midas touched,
Who failed to touch us all,
Was that confiding prodigal,
The blissful oriole.
Who failed to touch us all,
Was that confiding prodigal,
The blissful oriole.
So drunk, he disavows it
With badinage divine;
So dazzling, we mistake him
For an alighting mine.
With badinage divine;
So dazzling, we mistake him
For an alighting mine.
A pleader, a dissembler,
An epicure, a thief,—
Betimes an oratorio,
An ecstasy in chief;
An epicure, a thief,—
Betimes an oratorio,
An ecstasy in chief;
The Jesuit of orchards,
He cheats as he enchants
Of an entire attar
For his decamping wants.
He cheats as he enchants
Of an entire attar
For his decamping wants.
127
The splendor of a Burmah,
The meteor of birds,
Departing like a pageant
Of ballads and of bards.
The meteor of birds,
Departing like a pageant
Of ballads and of bards.
I never thought that Jason sought
For any golden fleece;
But then I am a rural man,
With thoughts that make for peace.
For any golden fleece;
But then I am a rural man,
With thoughts that make for peace.
But if there were a Jason,
Tradition suffer me
Behold his lost emolument
Upon the apple-tree.
Tradition suffer me
Behold his lost emolument
Upon the apple-tree.
128
XIV.
IN SHADOW.
I dreaded that first robin so,
But he is mastered now,
And I'm accustomed to him grown,—
He hurts a little, though.
But he is mastered now,
And I'm accustomed to him grown,—
He hurts a little, though.
I thought if I could only live
Till that first shout got by,
Not all pianos in the woods
Had power to mangle me.
Till that first shout got by,
Not all pianos in the woods
Had power to mangle me.
I dared not meet the daffodils,
For fear their yellow gown
Would pierce me with a fashion
So foreign to my own.
For fear their yellow gown
Would pierce me with a fashion
So foreign to my own.
I wished the grass would hurry,
So when 't was time to see,
He 'd be too tall, the tallest one
Could stretch to look at me.
So when 't was time to see,
He 'd be too tall, the tallest one
Could stretch to look at me.
129
I could not bear the bees should come,
I wished they 'd stay away
In those dim countries where they go:
What word had they for me?
I wished they 'd stay away
In those dim countries where they go:
What word had they for me?
They 're here, though; not a creature failed,
No blossom stayed away
In gentle deference to me,
The Queen of Calvary.
No blossom stayed away
In gentle deference to me,
The Queen of Calvary.
Each one salutes me as he goes,
And I my childish plumes
Lift, in bereaved acknowledgment
Of their unthinking drums.
And I my childish plumes
Lift, in bereaved acknowledgment
Of their unthinking drums.
130
XV.
THE HUMMING-BIRD.
A route of evanescenceWith a revolving wheel;
A resonance of emerald,
A rush of cochineal;
And every blossom on the bush
Adjusts its tumbled head,—
The mail from Tunis, probably,
An easy morning's ride.
131
XVI.
SECRETS.
The skies can't keep their secret!
They tell it to the hills—
The hills just tell the orchards—
And they the daffodils!
They tell it to the hills—
The hills just tell the orchards—
And they the daffodils!
A bird, by chance, that goes that way
Soft overheard the whole.
If I should bribe the little bird,
Who knows but she would tell?
Soft overheard the whole.
If I should bribe the little bird,
Who knows but she would tell?
I think I won't, however,
It 's finer not to know;
If summer were an axiom,
What sorcery had snow?
It 's finer not to know;
If summer were an axiom,
What sorcery had snow?
So keep your secret, Father!
I would not, if I could,
Know what the sapphire fellows do,
In your new-fashioned world!
I would not, if I could,
Know what the sapphire fellows do,
In your new-fashioned world!
132
[XVII. Who robbed the woods]
Who robbed the woods,The trusting woods?
The unsuspecting trees
Brought out their burrs and mosses
His fantasy to please.
He scanned their trinkets, curious,
He grasped, he bore away.
What will the solemn hemlock,
What will the fir-tree say?
133
XVIII.
TWO VOYAGERS.
Two butterflies went out at noon
And waltzed above a stream,
Then stepped straight through the firmament
And rested on a beam;
And waltzed above a stream,
Then stepped straight through the firmament
And rested on a beam;
And then together bore away
Upon a shining sea,—
Though never yet, in any port,
Their coming mentioned be.
Upon a shining sea,—
Though never yet, in any port,
Their coming mentioned be.
If spoken by the distant bird,
If met in ether sea
By frigate or by merchantman,
Report was not to me.
If met in ether sea
By frigate or by merchantman,
Report was not to me.
134
XIX.
BY THE SEA.
I started early, took my dog,
And visited the sea;
The mermaids in the basement
Came out to look at me,
And visited the sea;
The mermaids in the basement
Came out to look at me,
And frigates in the upper floor
Extended hempen hands,
Presuming me to be a mouse
Aground, upon the sands.
Extended hempen hands,
Presuming me to be a mouse
Aground, upon the sands.
But no man moved me till the tide
Went past my simple shoe,
And past my apron and my belt,
And past my bodice too,
Went past my simple shoe,
And past my apron and my belt,
And past my bodice too,
And made as he would eat me up
As wholly as a dew
Upon a dandelion's sleeve—
And then I started too.
As wholly as a dew
Upon a dandelion's sleeve—
And then I started too.
135
And he—he followed close behind;
I felt his silver heel
Upon my ankle,—then my shoes
Would overflow with pearl.
I felt his silver heel
Upon my ankle,—then my shoes
Would overflow with pearl.
Until we met the solid town,
No man he seemed to know;
And bowing with a mighty look
At me, the sea withdrew.
No man he seemed to know;
And bowing with a mighty look
At me, the sea withdrew.
136
XX.
OLD-FASHIONED.
Arcturus is his other name,—
I 'd rather call him star!
It 's so unkind of science
To go and interfere!
I 'd rather call him star!
It 's so unkind of science
To go and interfere!
I pull a flower from the woods,—
A monster with a glass
Computes the stamens in a breath,
And has her in a class.
A monster with a glass
Computes the stamens in a breath,
And has her in a class.
Whereas I took the butterfly
Aforetime in my hat,
He sits erect in cabinets,
The clover-bells forgot.
Aforetime in my hat,
He sits erect in cabinets,
The clover-bells forgot.
What once was heaven, is zenith now.
Where I proposed to go
When time's brief masquerade was done,
Is mapped, and charted too!
Where I proposed to go
When time's brief masquerade was done,
Is mapped, and charted too!
137
What if the poles should frisk about
And stand upon their heads!
I hope I'm ready for the worst,
Whatever prank betides!
And stand upon their heads!
I hope I'm ready for the worst,
Whatever prank betides!
Perhaps the kingdom of Heaven 's changed!
I hope the children there
Won't be new-fashioned when I come,
And laugh at me, and stare!
I hope the children there
Won't be new-fashioned when I come,
And laugh at me, and stare!
I hope the father in the skies
Will lift his little girl,—
Old-fashioned, naughty, everything,—
Over the stile of pearl!
Will lift his little girl,—
Old-fashioned, naughty, everything,—
Over the stile of pearl!
138
XXI.
A TEMPEST.
An awful tempest mashed the air,
The clouds were gaunt and few;
A black, as of a spectre's cloak,
Hid heaven and earth from view.
The clouds were gaunt and few;
A black, as of a spectre's cloak,
Hid heaven and earth from view.
The creatures chuckled on the roofs
And whistled in the air,
And shook their fists and gnashed their teeth,
And swung their frenzied hair.
And whistled in the air,
And shook their fists and gnashed their teeth,
And swung their frenzied hair.
The morning lit, the birds arose;
The monster's faded eyes
Turned slowly to his native coast,
And peace was Paradise!
The monster's faded eyes
Turned slowly to his native coast,
And peace was Paradise!
139
XXII.
THE SEA.
An everywhere of silver,With ropes of sand
To keep it from effacing
The track called land.
140
XXIII.
IN THE GARDEN.
A bird came down the walk:
He did not know I saw;
He bit an angle-worm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw.
He did not know I saw;
He bit an angle-worm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw.
And then he drank a dew
From a convenient grass,
And then hopped sidewise to the wall
To let a beetle pass.
From a convenient grass,
And then hopped sidewise to the wall
To let a beetle pass.
He glanced with rapid eyes
That hurried all abroad,—
They looked like frightened beads, I thought;
He stirred his velvet head
That hurried all abroad,—
They looked like frightened beads, I thought;
He stirred his velvet head
141
Like one in danger; cautious,
I offered him a crumb,
And he unrolled his feathers
And rowed him softer home
I offered him a crumb,
And he unrolled his feathers
And rowed him softer home
Than oars divide the ocean,
Too silver for a seam,
Or butterflies, off banks of noon,
Leap, plashless, as they swim.
Too silver for a seam,
Or butterflies, off banks of noon,
Leap, plashless, as they swim.
142
XXIV.
THE SNAKE.
A narrow fellow in the grass
Occasionally rides;
You may have met him,—did you not,
His notice sudden is.
Occasionally rides;
You may have met him,—did you not,
His notice sudden is.
The grass divides as with a comb,
A spotted shaft is seen;
And then it closes at your feet
And opens further on.
A spotted shaft is seen;
And then it closes at your feet
And opens further on.
He likes a boggy acre,
A floor too cool for corn.
Yet when a child, and barefoot,
I more than once, at morn,
A floor too cool for corn.
Yet when a child, and barefoot,
I more than once, at morn,
Have passed, I thought, a whip-lash
Unbraiding in the sun,—
When, stooping to secure it,
It wrinkled, and was gone.
Unbraiding in the sun,—
When, stooping to secure it,
It wrinkled, and was gone.
143
Several of nature's people
I know, and they know me;
I feel for them a transport
Of cordiality;
I know, and they know me;
I feel for them a transport
Of cordiality;
But never met this fellow,
Attended or alone,
Without a tighter breathing,
And zero at the bone.
Attended or alone,
Without a tighter breathing,
And zero at the bone.
144
XXV.
THE MUSHROOM.
The mushroom is the elf of plants,
At evening it is not;
At morning in a truffled hut
It stops upon a spot
At evening it is not;
At morning in a truffled hut
It stops upon a spot
As if it tarried always;
And yet its whole career
Is shorter than a snake's delay,
And fleeter than a tare.
And yet its whole career
Is shorter than a snake's delay,
And fleeter than a tare.
'T is vegetation's juggler,
The germ of alibi;
Doth like a bubble antedate,
And like a bubble hie.
The germ of alibi;
Doth like a bubble antedate,
And like a bubble hie.
145
I feel as if the grass were pleased
To have it intermit;
The surreptitious scion
Of summer's circumspect.
To have it intermit;
The surreptitious scion
Of summer's circumspect.
Had nature any outcast face,
Could she a son contemn,
Had nature an Iscariot,
That mushroom,—it is him.
Could she a son contemn,
Had nature an Iscariot,
That mushroom,—it is him.
146
XXVI.
THE STORM.
There came a wind like a bugle;It quivered through the grass,
And a green chill upon the heat
So ominous did pass
We barred the windows and the doors
As from an emerald ghost;
The doom's electric moccason
That very instant passed.
On a strange mob of panting trees,
And fences fled away,
And rivers where the houses ran
The living looked that day.
The bell within the steeple wild
The flying tidings whirled.
How much can come
And much can go,
And yet abide the world!
147
XXVII.
THE SPIDER.
A spider sewed at nightWithout a light
Upon an arc of white.
If ruff it was of dame
Or shroud of gnome,
Himself, himself inform.
Of immortality
His strategy
Was physiognomy.
148
[XXVIII. I know a place where summer strives]
I know a place where summer strives
With such a practised frost,
She each year leads her daisies back,
Recording briefly, “Lost.”
With such a practised frost,
She each year leads her daisies back,
Recording briefly, “Lost.”
But when the south wind stirs the pools
And struggles in the lanes,
Her heart misgives her for her vow,
And she pours soft refrains
And struggles in the lanes,
Her heart misgives her for her vow,
And she pours soft refrains
Into the lap of adamant,
And spices, and the dew,
That stiffens quietly to quartz,
Upon her amber shoe.
And spices, and the dew,
That stiffens quietly to quartz,
Upon her amber shoe.
149
[XXIX. The one that could repeat the summer day]
The one that could repeat the summer dayWere greater than itself, though he
Minutest of mankind might be.
And who could reproduce the sun,
At period of going down—
The lingering and the stain, I mean—
When Orient has been outgrown,
And Occident becomes unknown,
His name remain.
150
XXX.
THE WIND'S VISIT.
The wind tapped like a tired man,
And like a host, “Come in,”
I boldly answered; entered then
My residence within
And like a host, “Come in,”
I boldly answered; entered then
My residence within
A rapid, footless guest,
To offer whom a chair
Were as impossible as hand
A sofa to the air.
To offer whom a chair
Were as impossible as hand
A sofa to the air.
No bone had he to bind him,
His speech was like the push
Of numerous humming-birds at once
From a superior bush.
His speech was like the push
Of numerous humming-birds at once
From a superior bush.
151
His countenance a billow,
His fingers, if he pass,
Let go a music, as of tunes
Blown tremulous in glass.
His fingers, if he pass,
Let go a music, as of tunes
Blown tremulous in glass.
He visited, still flitting;
Then, like a timid man,
Again he tapped—'t was flurriedly—
And I became alone.
Then, like a timid man,
Again he tapped—'t was flurriedly—
And I became alone.
152
[XXXI. Nature rarer uses yellow]
Nature rarer uses yellow
Than another hue;
Saves she all of that for sunsets,—
Prodigal of blue,
Than another hue;
Saves she all of that for sunsets,—
Prodigal of blue,
Spending scarlet like a woman,
Yellow she affords
Only scantly and selectly,
Like a lover's words.
Yellow she affords
Only scantly and selectly,
Like a lover's words.
153
XXXII.
GOSSIP.
The leaves, like women, interchange
Sagacious confidence;
Somewhat of nods, and somewhat of
Portentous inference,
Sagacious confidence;
Somewhat of nods, and somewhat of
Portentous inference,
The parties in both cases
Enjoining secrecy,—
Inviolable compact
To notoriety.
Enjoining secrecy,—
Inviolable compact
To notoriety.
154
XXXIII.
SIMPLICITY.
How happy is the little stoneThat rambles in the road alone,
And does n't care about careers,
And exigencies never fears;
Whose coat of elemental brown
A passing universe put on;
And independent as the sun,
Associates or glows alone,
Fulfilling absolute decree
In casual simplicity.
155
XXXIV.
STORM.
It sounded as if the streets were running,
And then the streets stood still.
Eclipse was all we could see at the window,
And awe was all we could feel.
And then the streets stood still.
Eclipse was all we could see at the window,
And awe was all we could feel.
By and by the boldest stole out of his covert,
To see if time was there.
Nature was in her beryl apron,
Mixing fresher air.
To see if time was there.
Nature was in her beryl apron,
Mixing fresher air.
156
XXXV.
THE RAT.
The rat is the concisest tenant.
He pays no rent,—
Repudiates the obligation,
On schemes intent.
He pays no rent,—
Repudiates the obligation,
On schemes intent.
Balking our wit
To sound or circumvent,
Hate cannot harm
A foe so reticent.
To sound or circumvent,
Hate cannot harm
A foe so reticent.
Neither decree
Prohibits him,
Lawful as
Equilibrium.
Prohibits him,
Lawful as
Equilibrium.
157
[XXXVI. Frequently the woods are pink]
Frequently the woods are pink,
Frequently are brown;
Frequently the hills undress
Behind my native town.
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.
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!
On its axis turned,—
Wonderful rotation
By but twelve performed!
158
XXXVII.
A THUNDER-STORM.
The wind begun to rock the grass
With threatening tunes and low,—
He flung a menace at the earth,
A menace at the sky.
With threatening tunes and low,—
He flung a menace at the earth,
A menace at the sky.
The leaves unhooked themselves from trees
And started all abroad;
The dust did scoop itself like hands
And throw away the road.
And started all abroad;
The dust did scoop itself like hands
And throw away the road.
The wagons quickened on the streets,
The thunder hurried slow;
The lightning showed a yellow beak,
And then a livid claw.
The thunder hurried slow;
The lightning showed a yellow beak,
And then a livid claw.
159
The birds put up the bars to nests,
The cattle fled to barns;
There came one drop of giant rain,
And then, as if the hands
The cattle fled to barns;
There came one drop of giant rain,
And then, as if the hands
That held the dams had parted hold,
The waters wrecked the sky,
But overlooked my father's house,
Just quartering a tree.
The waters wrecked the sky,
But overlooked my father's house,
Just quartering a tree.
160
XXXVIII.
WITH FLOWERS.
South winds jostle them,
Bumblebees come,
Hover, hesitate,
Drink, and are gone.
Bumblebees come,
Hover, hesitate,
Drink, and are gone.
Butterflies pause
On their passage Cashmere;
I, softly plucking,
Present them here!
On their passage Cashmere;
I, softly plucking,
Present them here!
161
XXXIX.
SUNSET.
Where ships of purple gently tossOn seas of daffodil,
Fantastic sailors mingle,
And then—the wharf is still.
162
[XL. She sweeps with many-colored brooms]
She sweeps with many-colored brooms,
And leaves the shreds behind;
Oh, housewife in the evening west,
Come back, and dust the pond!
And leaves the shreds behind;
Oh, housewife in the evening west,
Come back, and dust the pond!
You dropped a purple ravelling in,
You dropped an amber thread;
And now you 've littered all the East
With duds of emerald!
You dropped an amber thread;
And now you 've littered all the East
With duds of emerald!
And still she plies her spotted brooms,
And still the aprons fly,
Till brooms fade softly into stars—
And then I come away.
And still the aprons fly,
Till brooms fade softly into stars—
And then I come away.
163
[XLI. Like mighty footlights burned the red]
Like mighty footlights burned the red
At bases of the trees,—
The far theatricals of day
Exhibiting to these.
At bases of the trees,—
The far theatricals of day
Exhibiting to these.
'T was universe that did applaud
While, chiefest of the crowd,
Enabled by his royal dress,
Myself distinguished God.
While, chiefest of the crowd,
Enabled by his royal dress,
Myself distinguished God.
164
XLII.
PROBLEMS.
Bring me the sunset in a cup,
Reckon the morning's flagons up,
And say how many dew;
Tell me how far the morning leaps,
Tell me what time the weaver sleeps
Who spun the breadths of blue!
Reckon the morning's flagons up,
And say how many dew;
Tell me how far the morning leaps,
Tell me what time the weaver sleeps
Who spun the breadths of blue!
Write me how many notes there be
In the new robin's ecstasy
Among astonished boughs;
How many trips the tortoise makes,
How many cups the bee partakes,—
The debauchee of dews!
In the new robin's ecstasy
Among astonished boughs;
How many trips the tortoise makes,
How many cups the bee partakes,—
The debauchee of dews!
165
Also, who laid the rainbow's piers,
Also, who leads the docile spheres
By withes of supple blue?
Whose fingers string the stalactite,
Who counts the wampum of the night,
To see that none is due?
Also, who leads the docile spheres
By withes of supple blue?
Whose fingers string the stalactite,
Who counts the wampum of the night,
To see that none is due?
Who built this little Alban house
And shut the windows down so close
My spirit cannot see?
Who'll let me out some gala day,
With implements to fly away,
Passing pomposity?
And shut the windows down so close
My spirit cannot see?
Who'll let me out some gala day,
With implements to fly away,
Passing pomposity?
166
XLIII.
THE JUGGLER OF DAY.
Blazing in gold and quenching in purple,
Leaping like leopards to the sky,
Then at the feet of the old horizon
Laying her spotted face, to die;
Leaping like leopards to the sky,
Then at the feet of the old horizon
Laying her spotted face, to die;
Stooping as low as the otter's window,
Touching the roof and tinting the barn,
Kissing her bonnet to the meadow,—
And the juggler of day is gone!
Touching the roof and tinting the barn,
Kissing her bonnet to the meadow,—
And the juggler of day is gone!
167
XLIV.
MY CRICKET.
Farther in summer than the birds,
Pathetic from the grass,
A minor nation celebrates
Its unobtrusive mass.
Pathetic from the grass,
A minor nation celebrates
Its unobtrusive mass.
No ordinance is seen,
So gradual the grace,
A pensive custom it becomes,
Enlarging loneliness.
So gradual the grace,
A pensive custom it becomes,
Enlarging loneliness.
Antiquest felt at noon
When August, burning low,
Calls forth this spectral canticle,
Repose to typify.
When August, burning low,
Calls forth this spectral canticle,
Repose to typify.
Remit as yet no grace,
No furrow on the glow,
Yet a druidic difference
Enhances nature now.
No furrow on the glow,
Yet a druidic difference
Enhances nature now.
168
[XLV. As imperceptibly as grief]
As imperceptibly as grief
The summer lapsed away,—
Too imperceptible, at last,
To seem like perfidy.
The summer lapsed away,—
Too imperceptible, at last,
To seem like perfidy.
A quietness distilled,
As twilight long begun,
Or Nature, spending with herself
Sequestered afternoon.
As twilight long begun,
Or Nature, spending with herself
Sequestered afternoon.
The dusk drew earlier in,
The morning foreign shone,—
A courteous, yet harrowing grace,
As guest who would be gone.
The morning foreign shone,—
A courteous, yet harrowing grace,
As guest who would be gone.
And thus, without a wing,
Or service of a keel,
Our summer made her light escape
Into the beautiful.
Or service of a keel,
Our summer made her light escape
Into the beautiful.
169
[XLVI. It can't be summer,—that got through]
It can't be summer,—that got through;
It 's early yet for spring;
There 's that long town of white to cross
Before the blackbirds sing.
It 's early yet for spring;
There 's that long town of white to cross
Before the blackbirds sing.
It can't be dying,—it 's too rouge,—
The dead shall go in white.
So sunset shuts my question down
With clasps of chrysolite.
The dead shall go in white.
So sunset shuts my question down
With clasps of chrysolite.
170
XLVII.
SUMMER'S OBSEQUIES.
The gentian weaves her fringes,
The maple's loom is red.
My departing blossoms
Obviate parade.
The maple's loom is red.
My departing blossoms
Obviate parade.
A brief, but patient illness,
An hour to prepare;
And one, below this morning,
Is where the angels are.
An hour to prepare;
And one, below this morning,
Is where the angels are.
It was a short procession,—
The bobolink was there,
An aged bee addressed us,
And then we knelt in prayer.
The bobolink was there,
An aged bee addressed us,
And then we knelt in prayer.
171
We trust that she was willing,—
We ask that we may be.
Summer, sister, seraph,
Let us go with thee!
We ask that we may be.
Summer, sister, seraph,
Let us go with thee!
In the name of the bee
And of the butterfly
And of the breeze, amen!
And of the butterfly
And of the breeze, amen!
172
XLVIII.
FRINGED GENTIAN.
God made a little gentian;It tried to be a rose
And failed, and all the summer laughed.
But just before the snows
There came a purple creature
That ravished all the hill;
And summer hid her forehead,
And mockery was still.
The frosts were her condition;
The Tyrian would not come
Until the North evoked it.
“Creator! shall I bloom?”
173
XLIX.
NOVEMBER.
Besides the autumn poets sing,
A few prosaic days
A little this side of the snow
And that side of the haze.
A few prosaic days
A little this side of the snow
And that side of the haze.
A few incisive mornings,
A few ascetic eves,—
Gone Mr. Bryant's golden-rod,
And Mr. Thomson's sheaves.
A few ascetic eves,—
Gone Mr. Bryant's golden-rod,
And Mr. Thomson's sheaves.
Still is the bustle in the brook,
Sealed are the spicy valves;
Mesmeric fingers softly touch
The eyes of many elves.
Sealed are the spicy valves;
Mesmeric fingers softly touch
The eyes of many elves.
Perhaps a squirrel may remain,
My sentiments to share.
Grant me, O Lord, a sunny mind,
Thy windy will to bear!
My sentiments to share.
Grant me, O Lord, a sunny mind,
Thy windy will to bear!
174
L.
THE SNOW.
It sifts from leaden sieves,
It powders all the wood,
It fills with alabaster wool
The wrinkles of the road.
It powders all the wood,
It fills with alabaster wool
The wrinkles of the road.
It makes an even face
Of mountain and of plain,—
Unbroken forehead from the east
Unto the east again.
Of mountain and of plain,—
Unbroken forehead from the east
Unto the east again.
It reaches to the fence,
It wraps it, rail by rail,
Till it is lost in fleeces;
It flings a crystal veil
It wraps it, rail by rail,
Till it is lost in fleeces;
It flings a crystal veil
175
On stump and stack and stem,—
The summer's empty room,
Acres of seams where harvests were,
Recordless, but for them.
The summer's empty room,
Acres of seams where harvests were,
Recordless, but for them.
It ruffles wrists of posts,
As ankles of a queen,—
Then stills its artisans like ghosts,
Denying they have been.
As ankles of a queen,—
Then stills its artisans like ghosts,
Denying they have been.
176
LI
THE BLUE JAY.
No brigadier throughout the year
So civic as the jay.
A neighbor and a warrior too,
With shrill felicity
So civic as the jay.
A neighbor and a warrior too,
With shrill felicity
Pursuing winds that censure us
A February day,
The brother of the universe
Was never blown away.
A February day,
The brother of the universe
Was never blown away.
The snow and he are intimate;
I 've often seen them play
When heaven looked upon us all
With such severity,
I 've often seen them play
When heaven looked upon us all
With such severity,
I felt apology were due
To an insulted sky,
Whose pompous frown was nutriment
To their temerity.
To an insulted sky,
Whose pompous frown was nutriment
To their temerity.
177
The pillow of this daring head
Is pungent evergreens;
His larder—terse and militant—
Unknown, refreshing things;
Is pungent evergreens;
His larder—terse and militant—
Unknown, refreshing things;
His character a tonic,
His future a dispute;
Unfair an immortality
That leaves this neighbor out.
His future a dispute;
Unfair an immortality
That leaves this neighbor out.
| Poems by Emily Dickinson | |