1'Twas the old—road—through pain—
2That unfrequented—One—
3With many a turn—and thorn—
4That stops—at Heaven—
5This—was the Town—she passed—
6There—where she—rested—last—
7Then—stepped more fast—
8The little tracks—close prest—
9Then—not so swift—
10Slow—slow—as feet did weary—grow—
11Then—stopped—no other track!
12Wait! Look! Her little Book—
13The leaf—at love—turned back—
14Her very Hat—
15And this worn shoe just fits the track—
16Herself—though—fled!
17Another bed—a short one—
18Women make—tonight—
19In Chambers bright—
20Too out of sight—though—
21For our hoarse Good Night—
22To touch her Head!
1'Twas the old—road—through pain—
2That unfrequented—One—
3With many a turn—and thorn—
4That stops—at Heaven—
5This—was the Town—she passed—
6There—where she—rested—last—
7Then—stepped more fast—
8The little tracks—close prest—
9Then—not so swift—
10Slow—slow—as feet did weary—grow—
11Then—stopped—no other track!
12Wait! Look! Her little Book—
13The leaf—at love—turned back—
14Her very Hat—
15And this worn shoe just fits the track—
16Herself—though—fled!
17Another bed—a short one—
18Women make—tonight—
19In Chambers bright—
20Too out of sight—though—
21For our hoarse Good Night—
22To touch her Head!
'Twas the old—road—through pain—
That unfrequented—One—
With many a turn—and thorn—
That stops—at Heaven—
This—was the Town—she passed—
There—where she—rested—last—
Then—stepped more fast—
The little tracks—close prest—
Then—not so swift—
Slow—slow—as feet did weary—grow—
Then—stopped—no other track!
Wait! Look! Her little Book—
The leaf—at love—turned back—
Her very Hat—
And this worn shoe just fits the track—
Herself—though—fled!
Another bed—a short one—
Women make—tonight—
In Chambers bright—
Too out of sight—though—
For our hoarse Good Night—
To touch her Head!
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
A Musical Adaptation of the Poem — Listen to a version of the poem set to music
A Biography of the Poet — Read about Dickinson's life and the influences that shaped her work in this biography from the Poetry Foundation.
"In Our Time" Podcast — Listen to experts talk about Dickinson's life and work on the BBC's In Our Time podcast.
The Drift Called the Infinite — Check out an essay on Dickinson's relationship to death and eternity, which was, in reality, more complex than this poem suggests.