Emily Dickinson's Correspondences
Correspondence with Susan Dickinson


H 378a
Who were 
"the Father and 
the Son"
[I] We [pencilled] pondered 
when a Child - [down]
And what had 
they to do with 
[me] us [pencilled] 
And when [in] 
[Terror] portentous [pencilled] told appalling [pencilled]
With inference [pencilled] [alarming pencilled]
By [Distance pencilled] Childhood [pencilled] fortified [pencilled]
[Through Accents 
terrible as Death 
To one that 
never died
H 378b

[I] We [pencilled] 
thought, at 
least they are 
no worse
Than they have
been described.

Who are "the 
Father and the 
Son"
Did [I] we [pencilled] demand 
Today
"The Father 
and the Son" 
himself
Would doubtless 
[Answer me] specify - [pencilled] 
H 378c

But had they 
[had] the felicity [pencilled] [readiness]
When [I] we [pencilled] desired 
to know,
We better 
Friends had 

been, perhaps,
      1    3  
Than time to
4      2
be ensue - 

We start    to 
learn that We 
believe
But once - 
entirely ~
H 378d

Belief, it does 
not fit so well
When altered 
frequently -

We blush, 
that Heaven 
	a  c  h  i  e  v  e [pencilled]	
i f  W e  [ b e h o l d ] - [down]

E v e n t i n e f f a b l e - [down]
We shall 
have shunned 
until Ashamed
To own the 
Miracle ~
 

H 378


Close-Up of H 378a | Close-Up of H 378b
Close-Up of H 378c | Close-Up of H 378d

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Transcription and commentary copyright 1996 by Martha Nell Smith, all rights reserved
Last updated on December 11, 1998
Maintained by Tanya Clement <tclement@umd.edu>