Because I could not stop for Death - He kindly stopped for me - The Carriage held but just Ourselves - And Immortality. We slowly drove - He knew no haste And I had put away My labor and my leisure too, For His Civility - We passed the School, where Children strove At Recess - in the Ring - We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain - We passed the Setting Sun - Or rather - He passed Us - The Dews drew quivering and Chill - For only Gossamer, my Gown - My Tippet - only Tulle - We paused before a House that seemed A Swelling of the Ground - The Roof was scarcely visible - The Cornice - in the Ground - Since then - 'tis Centuries - and yet Feels shorter than the Day I first surmised the Horses' Heads Were toward Eternity - ___ He fought like those Who've nought to lose - Bestowed Himself to Balls As One who for a further Life Had not a further Use - Invited Death - with bold attempt - But Death was Coy of Him As Other Men, were Coy of Death - To Him - to live - was Doom - His Comrades, shifted like the Flakes When Gusts reverse the Snow - But He - remained alive Because Of Greediness to die - ___ Fame of Myself, to justify, All other Plaudit be Superfluous - An Incense Beyond Nescessity - Fame of Myself to lack - Although My Name be else supreme - This were an Honor honorless - A futile Diadem - ___ Wolfe demanded during Dying "Which controlled the Day"? "General, the British" - "Easy" Answered He "- to die" - Montcalm - His opposing Spirit Rendered with a smile - "Sweet" said He, "My own Surrender Liberty's - forestall -" ___ Most she touched me by her muteness - Most she won me by the way She presented her small figure - Plea itself - for Charity - Were a Crumb my whole possession - Were there famine in the land - Were it my resource from starving - Could I such a plea withstand - Not upon her knee to thank me Sank the Beggar from the Sky - But the Crumb partook - departed - And returned On High - I supposed - when sudden Such a Praise began 'Twas as Space sat singing To herself - and men - 'Twas the Winged Beggar - Afterward I learned To her Benefactor Making Gratitude ___ 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 - ___ The Whole of it came not at once - 'Twas Murder by degrees - A Thrust - and then for Life a chance - The Bliss to cauterize - The Cat reprieves the Mouse She eases from her teeth Just long enough for Hope to teaze - Then mashes it to death - 'Tis Life's award - to die - Contenteder if once - Than dying half - then rallying For consciouser Eclipse - ___ He told a homely tale And spotted it with tears - Upon his infant face was set The Cicatrice of years - All crumpled was the cheek No other kiss had known Than flake of snow, divided with The Redbreast of the Barn - If Mother - in the Grave - Or Father - on the Sea - Or Father in the Firmament - Or Bretheren, had he - If Commonwealth below, Or Commonwealth above Have missed a Barefoot Citizen - I've ransomed it - alive - ___ Presentiment - is that long shadow - on the Lawn - Indicative that Suns go down - The Notice to the startled Grass That Darkness - is about to pass - ___ You constituted Time - I deemed Eternity A Revelation of Yourself - 'Twas therefore Deity The Absolute - removed The Relative away - That I unto Himself adjust My slow idolatry - ___ My Faith is larger than the Hills - So when the Hills decay - My Faith must take the Purple Wheel To show the Sun the way - 'Tis first He steps upon the Vane - And then - upon the Hill - And then abroad the World He go To do His Golden Will - And if His Yellow feet should miss - The Day would not arise - The Flowers would slumber on their Stems - No Bells have Paradise - How dare I, therefore, stint a faith On which so vast depends - Lest Firmament should fail for me - The Rivet in the Bands ___ Rests at Night The Sun from shining, Nature - and some Men - Rest at Noon - some Men - While Nature And the Sun - go on - ___ The World - feels Dusty When We stop to Die - We want the Dew - then - Honors - taste dry - Flags - vex a Dying face - But the least Fan Stirred by a friend's Hand - Cools - like the Rain - Mine be the Ministry When thy Thirst comes - Dews of Thessaly, to fetch - And Hybla Balms - ___ To offer brave assistance To Lives that stand alone - When One has failed to stop them - Is Human - but Divine To lend an Ample Sinew Unto a Nameless Man - Whose Homely Benediction No other - stopped to earn - ___ When I hoped, I recollect Just the place I stood - At a Window facing West - Roughest Air - was good - Not a Sleet could bite me - Not a frost could cool - Hope it was that kept me warm - Not Merino shawl - When I feared - I recollect Just the Day it was - Worlds were lying in the Sun - Yet how Nature froze - Icicles upon my soul Prickled Blue and Cool - Bird went praising everywhere - Only Me - was still - And the Day that I despaired - This - if I forget Nature will - that it be Night After Sun has set - Darkness intersect her face - And put out her eye - Nature hesitate - before Memory and I - ___ The Wind did'nt come from the Orchard - today - Further than that - Nor stop to play with the Hay - Nor threaten a Hat - He's a transitive fellow - very - Rely on that - If He leave a Bur at the door We know He has climbed a Fir - But the Fir is Where - Declare - Were you ever there? If He brings Odors of Clovers - And that is His business - not Our's - Then He has been with the Mowers - Whetting away the Hours To sweet pauses of Hay - His Way - of a June Day - If He fling Sand, and Pebble - Little Boys Hats - and Stubble - With an occasional Steeple - And a hoarse "Get out of the way, I say" Who'd be the fool to stay? Would you - Say - Would you be the fool to stay? ___ The Day undressed - Herself - Her Garter - was of Gold - Her Petticoat of Purple - just - Her Dimities - as old Exactly - as the World And yet the newest Star Enrolled upon the Hemisphere - Be wrinkled - much as Her - Too near to God - to pray - Too near to Heaven - to fear - The Lady of the Occident Retired without a Care - Her Candle so expire The Flickering be seen On Ball of Mast - in Foreign Port - And Spire - and Window Pane. ___ The Beggar Lad - dies early - It's Somewhat in the Cold - And Somewhat in the Trudging feet - And haply, in the World - The Cruel - smiling - bowing World - That took it's Cambric Way - Nor heard the timid cry for "Bread" - "Sweet Lady - Charity" - Among Redeemed Children If Trudging feet may stand - The Barefoot time forgotten - so - The Sleet - the bitter Wind - The Childish Hands that teazed for Pence Lifted adoring - then - To Him whom never Ragged - Coat Did supplicate in vain - ___ One and One - are One - Two - be finished using - Well enough for schools - But for inner Choosing - Life - just - Or Death - Or the Everlasting - More - would be too vast For the Soul's Comprising - ___ I lived on Dread - To Those who know The Stimulus there is In Danger - Other impetus Is numb - and vitalless - As 'twere a Spur - upon the Soul - A Fear will urge it where To go without the Spectre's aid Were challenging Despair. ___