Three Songs on Poems of Emily Dickinson ; Three Gems from Emily Dickinson

Song Cycle by Monica Houghton

1. Reverse cannot befall that fine Prosperity … [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English

Reverse cannot befall that fine Prosperity
Whose sources are interior.
As soon Adversity
A diamond overtake,
In far Bolivian ground;
Misfortune hath no implement
Could mar it, if it found.

Text Authorship:

by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title, appears in The Single Hound, no. 8, first published 1915

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Confirmed with Emily Dickinson, The Single Hound; poems of a lifetime, Boston: Little, Brown and company, p.10

Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]

2. We play at paste … [sung text not yet checked]

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.

Text Authorship:

by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title, appears in Poems of Emily Dickinson, no. 4, first published 1891

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Confirmed with Emily Dickinson, Poems, Second Series, Boston : Roberts Brothers, 1891, p.25

Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]

3. I held a jewel in my fingers … [sung text not yet checked]

Language: English

I held a jewel in my fingers
And went to sleep.
The day was warm, and winds were prosy;
I said: "'T will keep."

I woke and chid my honest fingers, -
The gem was gone;
And now an amethyst remembrance
Is all I own.

Text Authorship:

by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title, appears in Poems by Emily Dickinson, first published 1891

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Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

Total word count: 104