Poem-A-Day April 25: To take us Lands away

Hello Friends,

For today’s poem, it’s helpful to know that in Emily Dickinson’s time a “frigate” meant a sailing ship built for speed and maneuverability, and “coursers” were swift horses.




There is no Frigate like a Book
To take us Lands away
Nor any Coursers like a Page
Of prancing Poetry —
This Traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of Toll —
How frugal is the Chariot
That bears the Human Soul —



Emily Dickinson (1830 – 1886) wrote her poems on little scraps of paper that have been carefully archived. Here is what the original “There is no Frigate like a Book” looks like:

image of manuscript


You can view more of Emily Dickinson’s poems in their original form in a book called The Gorgeous Nothings (2013) and online at EDickinson.org/.

Enjoy.
Ællen

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