Poèmes d'Emily Dickinson

674

The Soul that hath a Guest

Doth seldom go abroad -

Diviner Crowd at Home,

Obliterate the need -

 

And Courtesy forbids

A Host's departure when

Upon Himself - be visiting

The Mightiest - of Men -

 

683

The Soul unto itself

Is an imperial friend -

Or the most agonizing Spy -

An Enemy - could send -

 

Secure against its own -

No treason it can fear -

Itself - its Sovereign - of itself

The Soul should stand in Awe -

 

709

Publication - is the Auction

Of the Mind of Man -

Poverty - be justifying

For so foul a thing

 

Possibly - but We - would rather

From Our Garret go

White - Unto the White Creator -

Than invest - Our Snow -

 

Thought belong to Him who gave it -

Then - to Him Who bear

Its Corporeal illustration - Sell

The Royal Air -

 

In the Parcel - Be the Merchant

Of the Heavenly Grace -

But reduce no Human Spirit

To Disgrace of Price –

 

750

 Growth of Man - like Growth of Nature -

Gravitates within -

Atmosphere, and Sun endorse it -

Bit it stir - alone -

 

Each - its difficult Ideal

Must achieve - Itself -

Through the solitary prowess

Of a Silent Life -

 

Effort - is the sole condition -

Patience of Itself -

Patience of opposing forces -

And intact Belief -

 

Looking on - is the Department

Of its Audience -

But Transaction - is assisted

By no Countenance -

 

751

My Worthiness is all my Doubt -

His Merit - all my fear -

Contrasting which, my quality

Do lowlier - appear -

 

Lest I should insufficient prove

For His beloved Need -

The Chiefest Apprehension

Upon my thronging Mind -

 

'Tis true - that Deity to stoop

Inherently incline -

For nothing higher than Itself

Itself can rest upon -

 

So I - the undivine abode

Of His Elect Content -

Conform my Soul - as 'twere a Church,

Unto Her Sacrament -

 

752

So the Eyes accost - and sunder

In an Audience -

Stamped - occasionally - forever -

So may Countenance

 

Entertain - without addressing

Countenance of One

In a Neighboring Horizon -

Gone - as soon as known -

 

779

The Service without Hope -

Is tenderest, I think -

Because 'tis unsustained

By stint - Rewarded Work -

 

Has impetus of Gain -

And impetus of Goal -

There is no Diligence like that

That knows not an Until -

 

781

To wait an Hour - is long -

If Love be just beyond -

To wait Eternity - is short -

If Love reward the end -

 

794

A Drop Fell on the Apple Tree -

Another - on the Roof -

A Half a Dozen kissed the Eaves -

And made the Gables laugh -

 

A few went out to help the Brook

That went to help the Sea -

Myself Conjectured were they Pearls -

What Necklace could be -

 

The Dust replaced, in Hoisted Roads -

The Birds jocoser sung -

The Sunshine threw his Hat away -

The Bushes - spangles flung -

 

The Breezes brought dejected Lutes -

And bathed them in the Glee -

Then Orient showed a single Flag,

And signed the Fete away -

  

795

Her final Summer was it -

And yet We guessed it not -

If tenderer industriousness

Pervaded Her, We thought

 

A further force of life

Developed from within -

When Death lit all the shortness up

It made the hurry plain -

 

We wondered at our blindness

When nothing was to see

But Her Carrara Guide post -

At Our Stupidity -

 

When duller than our dullness

The Busy Darling lay -

So busy was she - finishing -

So leisurely - were We -

 

799

Despair's advantage is achieved

By suffering - Despair -

To be assisted of Reverse

One must Reverse have bore -

 

The Worthiness of Suffering like

The Worthiness of Death

Is ascertained by tasting -

 

As can no other Mouth

 

Of Savors - make us conscious -

As did ourselves partake -

Affliction feels impalpable

Until Ourselves are struck -

 

1725

I took one Draught of Life -

I'll tell you what I paid -

Precisely an existence -

The market price, they said.

 

They weighed me, Dust by Dust -

They balanced Film with Film,

Then handed me my Being's worth -

A single Dram of Heaven!

 

1739

Some say goodnight - at night -

I say goodnight by day -

Good-bye - the Going utter me -

Goodnight, I still reply -

 

For parting, that is night,

And presence, simply dawn -

Itself, the purple on the height

Denominated morn.