Poetessa, nato venerdì 10 dicembre 1830 a Amherst, Massachusetts (USA - Stati Uniti d'America), morto sabato 15 maggio 1886 a Amherst, Massachusetts (USA - Stati Uniti d'America)
Your Riches - taught me - Poverty. Myself - a Millionaire In little Wealths, as Girls could boast - Till broad as Buenos Ayre - You drifted your Dominions - A Different Peru - And I esteemed All Poverty For Life's Estate with you -
Of Mines, I little know - myself - But just the names, of Gems - The Colors of the Commonest - And scarce of Diadems -
So much, that did I meet the Queen - Her Glory I should know - But this, must be a different Wealth - To miss it - beggars so -
I'm sure 'tis India - all Day - To those who look on You - Without a stint - without a blame, Might I - but be the Jew -
I'm sure it is Golconda - Beyond my power to deem - To have a smile for Mine - each Day, How better, than a Gem!
At least, it solaces to know That there exists - a Gold - Altho' I prove it, just in time It's distance - to behold -
It's far - far Treasure to surmise - And estimate the Pearl - That slipped my simple fingers through - While just a Girl at School.
I cross till I am weary A Mountain - in my mind - More Mountains - then a Sea - More Seas - And then A Desert - find - And My Horizon blocks With sudden - blinding - Grains Of unconjectured quantity - As Asiatic Rains -
Nor this - defeat my Pace - It hinder from the West But as an Enemy's Salute One hurrying to Rest -
What merit had the Goal - Except there intervene Faint Doubt - and far Competitor - To jeopardize the Gain?
At last - the Grace in sight - I shout unto my feet - I offer them the Whole of Heaven The instant that we meet -
They strive - and yet delay - They stagger - Do we die - Or is this Death's Experiment - Reversed - in Victory?
That I did always love I bring thee Proof That till I loved I never lived - Enough - That I shall love alway - I argue thee That love is life - And life hath Immortality -
This - dost thou doubt - Sweet - Then have I Nothing to show But Calvary.
Death is potential to that Man Who dies - and to his friend - Beyond that - unconspicuous To Anyone but God - Of these Two - God remembers The longest - for the friend - Is integral - and therefore Itself dissolved - of God.
I've seen a Dying Eye Run round and round a Room - In search of Something - as it seemed - Then Cloudier become - And then - obscure with Fog - And then - be soldered down Without disclosing what it be 'Twere blessed to have seen.
'Tis One by One - the Father counts - And then a Tract between Set Cypherless - to teach the Eye The Value of it's Ten - Until the peevish Student Acquire the Quick of Skill - Then Numerals are dowered back - Adorning all the Rule -
'Tis mostly Slate and Pencil - And Darkness on the School Distracts the Children's fingers - Still the Eternal Rule
Regards least Cypherer alike With Leader of the Band - And every separate Urchin's Sum - Is fashioned for his hand.
We see - Comparatively - The Thing so towering high We could not grasp it's segment Unaided - Yesterday - This Morning's finer Verdict - Makes scarcely worth the toil - A furrow - Our Cordillera - Our Apennine - a knoll -
Perhaps 'tis kindly - done us - The Anguish - and the loss - The wrenching - for His Firmament The Thing belonged to us -
To spare these Striding Spirits Some Morning of Chagrin - The waking in a Gnat's - embrace - Our Giants - further on.
Two butterflies went out at Noon - And waltzed upon a Farm - 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 -
If spoken by the distant Bird - If met in Ether Sea By Frigate, or by Merchantman - No notice - was - to me.
I tried to think a lonelier Thing Than any I had seen - Some Polar Expiation - An Omen in the Bone Of Death's tremendous nearness - I probed Retrieveless things My Duplicate - to borrow - A Haggard Comfort springs
From the belief that Somewhere - Within the Clutch of Thought - There dwells one other Creature Of Heavenly Love - forgot -
I plucked at our Partition - As One should pry the Walls - Between Himself - and Horror's Twin - Within Opposing Cells -
I almost strove to clasp his Hand, Such Luxury - it grew - That as Myself - could pity Him - He - too - could pity me.