by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886)

You ask of my companions
Language: English 
Our translations:  GER
You ask of my companions.
Hills, sir, and the sundown, 
and a dog large as myself, 
that my father bought me. 
They are better than beings 
because they know, but do not tell; 
and the noise in the pool 
at noon excels my piano. 
I have a brother and a sister; 
my mother does not care for thought, 
and father, too busy with his briefs 
to notice what we do. 
He buys me many books, 
but begs me not to read them, 
because he fears they joggle the mind. 
They are religious, except me, 
and address an eclipse ev'ry morning, 
whom they call their "Father." 
But I fear my story fatigues you.

I would like to learn.
Could you tell me how to grow, 
or is it unconveyed, 
like melody or witchcraft?

About the headline (FAQ)

Note: From a letter from Emily Dickinson to Thomas Wentworth Higgins, dated April 25, 1862. The line-breaks are arbitrary; this is a prose text.


Text Authorship:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

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

  • GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , copyright © 2018, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2017-05-02
Line count: 23
Word count: 132