by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886)
Ah, Moon — and Star!
Language: English
Ah, Moon — and Star! You are very far — But were no one Farther than you — Do you think I'd stop For a Firmament — Or a Cubit — or so? I could borrow a Bonnet Of the Lark — And a Chamois' Silver Boot — And a stirrup of an Antelope — And be with you — Tonight! But, Moon, and Star, Though you're very far — There is one — farther than you — He — is more than a firmament — from Me — So I can never go!
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Emily Dickinson, The Poems of Emily Dickinson: Including Variant Readings Critically Compared with All Known Manuscripts, Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1998, p.240; the poem is never published. The final line of stanza 2 has a variant: And leap to you — tonight. The final line of stanza 2 has a variant: And I cannot go!
Text Authorship:
- by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886), no title, written 1861 [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 Judith Weir (b. 1954), "Moon and Star", 1995 [ mixed chorus and orchestra ], Chester Music Ltd
Publisher: Wise Music Classical [external link] [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2026-03-09
Line count: 17
Word count: 94