by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886)
We play at paste
Language: English
We play at paste, Till qualified for pearl, Then drop the paste, And deem ourself a fool. The shapes, though, were similar, And our new hands Learned gem-tactics Practising sands.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Emily Dickinson, Poems, Second Series, Boston : Roberts Brothers, 1891, p.25
Text Authorship:
- by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title, appears in Poems of Emily Dickinson, no. 4, first published 1891 [author's text checked 1 time 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 Monica Houghton , "We play at paste …", 2011, first performed 2013 [ soprano and piano ], from Three Songs on Poems of Emily Dickinson ; Three Gems from Emily Dickinson, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2026-02-02
Line count: 8
Word count: 30