by Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886)

Because I could not stop for Death
Language: English 
Our translations:  DUT FRI
Because I could not stop for Death --
He kindly stopped for me --
The carriage held but just ourselves --
and Immortality.

We slowly drove -- he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labour, and my leisure too
For His Civility --

We passed the School, where Children
At Recess -- in the Ring --
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain --
We passed the Setting Sun --

Or rather -- He passed Us --
The Dews drew quivering and chill --
For only Gossamer, my Gown --
My Tippet -- only Tulle --

We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground --
The Roof was scarcely visible --
The Cornice -- in the Ground --

Since then 'tis centuries; but each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses' heads
Were toward eternity.

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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):

    [ None yet in the database ]

Set in a modified version by Fania Chapiro, Aaron Copland, Sergius Kagen, Gary Bachlund, John Coolidge Adams, Leslie Crabtree, Tim Silva, Charles Jason Bechtold, Ernst Bacon.

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

  • FRI Frisian (Geart van der Meer) , title unknown, copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Geart van der Meer) , title unknown, copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2013-09-16
Line count: 24
Word count: 126