Emily Dickinson

A Charm Invests A Face
by Emily Dickinson

A charm invests a face
Imperfectly beheld.
The lady dare not lift her veil
For fear it be dispelled.But peers beyond her mesh,
And wishes, and denies,
Lest interview annul a want
That image satisfies.

Heart, We Will Forget Him
by Emily Dickinson

Heart, we will forget him,
You and I, tonight!
You must forget the warmth he gave,
I will forget the light.

When you have done pray tell me,
Then I, my thoughts, will dim.
Haste! 'lest while you're lagging
I may remember him!

Hope is a Thing With Feathers
by Emily Dickinson

Hope is a thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings a tune without words
And never stops at all.

And sweetest, in the gale, is heard
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That keeps so many warm.

I've heard it in the chilliest land
And on the strangest sea
Yet, never, in extremity
It ask a crumb of me.

I Have No Life But This
by Emily Dickinson

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!

I Held a Jewel
by Emily Dickinson

I held a jewel in my fingers
And went to sleep
The day was warm, and winds were prosy
I said, "Twill keep"

I woke - and chide my honest fingers,
The Gem was gone
And now, an Amethyst remembrance
Is all I own


I Many Times Thought
by Emily Dickinson

I many times thought peace had come
When peace was far away,
As wrecked men deem they sight the land
When far at sea they stay.

And struggle slacker, but to prove,
As hopelessly as I,
That many the fictitious shores
Before the harbor lie.

I Should Not Dare
by Emily Dickinson

I should not dare to leave my friend,
Because if he should die
While I was gone and I -too late,
Should reach the heart that wanted me,

If I should disappoint the eyes
That hunted, hunted so, to see
And could not bear to shut until
He noticed me, -he noticed me,

If I should stab the patient faith
So sure I'd come -so sure I'd come
It listening, listening went to sleep
Reciting my tardy name.

My heart would wish it broke before
Since breaking then, since breaking then,
Is useless as next morning's sun
To erase a midnight's tear.

I Sing
by Emily Dickinson

I sing to use the waiting
My bonnet but to tie,
And close the door unto my house
No more to do have I

'Till his best step approaching,
We journey to the day,
And tell each other how we sung
To keep the Dark away.

If I May Have It
by Emily Dickinson

If I may have it when it's dead
I will contented be;
If just as soon as breath is out
It shall belong to me,

Until they lock it in the grave,
'Tis bliss I cannot weigh,
For though they lock thee in the grave,
Myself can hold the key.

Think of it, lover! I and thee
Permitted face to face to be;
After a life, a death we'll say, -
For death was that, but this is thee.

If You Were Coming In The Fall
by Emily Dickinson

If you were coming in the fall
I'd brush the summer by
With half a smile and half a spurn
As housewives do a fly.

If I could see you in a year
I'd wind the months in balls
And put them into separate drawers
Until their time befalls.

If only centuries delayed
I'd count them on my hand
Subtracting 'till my fingers dropped
Into Van Diemen's land

If certain when this life was out
That yours and mine should be
I'd toss life yonder like a rind
And taste eternity.

But now all ignorant of length,
Of times uncertain wing,
It goads me like the goblin bee
That will not state its sting!


It's All I Have to Bring To-day
by Emily Dickinson

It's all I have to bring to-day,
This, and my heart beside,
This, and my heart, and all the fields,
And all the meadows wide.
Be sure you count, should I forget, --
Someone the sum could tell, --
This, and my heart, and all the bees
Which in the clover dwell.


My Friend
by Emily Dickinson

My friend must be a bird
Because he flies.
Mortal, my friend must be
Because he dies!
Barbs has he, like a bee.
Ah, curious friend.
Thou puzzlest me

My River
by Emily Dickinson

My river runs to thee.
Blue sea, wilt thou welcome me?
My river awaits reply.
Oh! sea, look graciously.

I'll fetch thee brooks
from spotted nooks.
Say, sea,
Take me!

Proud of my Broken Heart
by Emily Dickinson

Proud of my broken heart, since thou didst break it.
Proud of the pain, I did not feel 'till thee.
Proud of my night, since thou, with moons, dos't shake it.
Not to partake thy passion, -my humility


The Heart Asks
by Emily Dickinson

The heart asks pleasure first
And then, excuse from pain;
And then those little anodynes
That deaden suffering,

And then to go to sleep
And then, if it should be,
The will of its Inquisitor
The liberty to die!

Wild Nights
by Emily Dickinson

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
Tonight with thee!

You Left Me
by Emily Dickinson

You left me, sweet, two legacies, -
A legacy of love
A Heavenly Father would content,
Had He the offer of;

You left me boundaries of pain
Capacious as the sea,
Between eternity and time,
Your consciousness and me.

For more information about the life and works of
Emily Dickinson:

The Emily Dickinson International Society

Poets.Org

Dickinson Electronic Archives