by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886)
I know some lonely Houses off the Road
Language: English
Available translation(s): FRE
I know some lonely Houses off the Road A Robber'd like the look of -- Wooden barred, And Windows hanging low, Inviting to -- A Portico, Where two could creep -- One -- hand the Tools -- The other peep -- To make sure All's Asleep -- Old fashioned eyes -- Not easy to surprise! How orderly the Kitchen'd look, by night, With just a Clock -- But they could gag the Tick -- And Mice won't bark -- And so the Walls -- don't tell -- None -- will -- A pair of Spectacles ajar just stir -- An Almanac's aware -- Was it the Mat -- winked, Or a Nervous Star? The Moon -- slides down the stair, To see who's there! There's plunder -- where -- Tankard, or Spoon -- Earring -- or Stone -- A Watch -- Some Ancient Brooch To match the Grandmama -- Staid sleeping -- there -- Day -- rattles -- too Stealth's -- slow -- The Sun has got as far As the third Sycamore -- Screams Chanticleer "Who's there"? And Echoes -- Trains away, Sneer -- "Where"! While the old Couple, just astir, Fancy the Sunrise -- left the door ajar!
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title, appears in Poems of Emily Dickinson, first published 1890 [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by George Perle (1915 - 2009), "I know some lonely houses off the road", 1977 [ voice and piano ], from Thirteen Dickinson Songs, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2009, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 40
Word count: 164