Notes
1] alabaster: hard, translucent, white mineral like gypsum used for sculpture and vases
2] This line is separated between the words "morning" and "and" into two lines in the existing manuscript version of poem 216 (The Manuscript Books of Emily Dickinson, edited by R. W. Franklin in two volumes (Cambridge, Mass., and London: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1981: I, 193; fascicles 10; cf. I, 103, fascicle 6; PS 1541 A1 1981 ROBA).
3] Sleep: the existing manuscript version reads "Lie".
5-8] This stanza is missing in the existing manuscript version.
10] This line is separated into two lines between the words "arcs" and "and" in the existing manuscript version.
11] diadems: crowns
Doges: chief justices in Venice and Genoa
Online text copyright © 2009, Ian Lancashire (the Department of English) and the University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.
Original text: Poems (1890-1896) by Emily Dickinson: A Facsimile Reproduction of the Original Volumes Issued in 1890, 1891, and 1896, with an Introduction by George Monteiro (Gainesville, Florida: Scholars' Facsimiles).
First publication date:
1890
RPO poem editor: Ian Lancashire
RP edition: RPO 1997.
Recent editing: 2:2002/6/7
Composition date:
1861
Composition date note: (2nd version)
Rhyme: abcdc (off-rhyme)