by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886)

Could I but ride indefinite
Language: English 
Could I but ride indefinite,
  As doth the meadow-bee,
And visit only where I liked,
  And no man visit me,

And flirt all day with buttercups,
  And marry whom I may,
And dwell a little everywhere,
  Or better, run away

With no police to follow,
  Or chase me if I do,
Till I should jump peninsulas
  To get away from you,—

I said, but just to be a bee
  Upon a raft of air,
And row in nowhere all day long,
  And anchor off the bar, —
What liberty! So captives deem
  Who tight in dungeons are.

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with Poems by Emily Dickinson. Third Series, ed by Mabel Loomis Todd, Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1896.


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


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2010-10-26
Line count: 18
Word count: 97