Editorial Policies and List of Collated Witnesses
"Ready" "They might not need me -- yet they might --"
Title. Ready. ] Ready 1949
No title 1894, 1955, 1960
The Book Buyer, as well as Johnson's 1955 and 1960 editions present the work as a 4-line poem, combining ll. 1 & 2, 3 & 4, 5 & 6, and 7 & 8 into single lines, disregarding the slight indentation of ll. 2, 4, 6, and 8. All other variations are catalogued below.
Line 1. They ] "They 1894
Line 2. might-- ] might; 1894
Line 3. heart ] Heart 1955, 1960
Line 4. sight-- ] sight. 1894
Line 6. mine, ] mine 1894, 1955, 1960
Line 8. Necessity. ] necessity. 1894, 1960
"A Nameless Rose" "Nobody knows this little rose"
[While Loomis and Todd (1945) print this poem with the same stanzaic pattern that it has in The Youth's Companion, Johnson (1955 and 1960) prints it as a twelve-line poem with no stanzas.]
Line 1. Nobody ] NOBODY [sm] 1945
rose, ] Rose– 1955, 1960
Line 2. be, ] be 1945, 1955, 1960
Line 3. ways, ] ways 1945, 1955, 1960
Line 5. bee] Bee 1955, 1960
it, ] it– 1955, 1960
Line 6. butterfly, ] Butterfly, 1955, 1960
Line 7. journey ] journey– 1955, 1960
Line 8. its ] it's 1955
lie; ] lie. 1945
lie– 1955, 1960
Line 9. bird ] Bird 1955, 1960
wonder, ] wonder– 1955, 1960
Line 10. breeze ] Breeze 1955, 1960
sigh; ] sigh– 1945, 1955, 1960
Line 11. Ah! ] Ah, 1945
Ah 1955, 1960
little rose, ] Little Rose– 1955, 1960
"Vanished" "She died -- this was the way she died"
Titled "Vanished" in 1891 Poems.
In 1891 and 1936 piece presented as two quatrains.
Line 1. She died; ] She died, -- 1891, 1936
She died -- 1960
this ] this 1960
died, ] died; 1891, 1936
died. 1960
Line 2. done, ] done 1960
Lines 5-6. ]
"Bernardine" Angels, up the hight
her trudging feet espied -- 1960
Line 6. angels ] Angels 1960
"Autumn" "The name of it is 'Autumn'"
Line 1. The ] The [sm caps] 1945
name of it is autumn, ] name–of it–is "Autumn"– 1955, 1960
Line 2. hue of it is blood– ] hue–of it–is Blood– 1955, 1960
blood– ] blood, 1945
Line 3. artery ] Artery– 1955, 1960
hill, ] Hill– 1955, 1960
Line 4. vein ] Vein– 1955, 1960
road. ] road, 1945
Road– 1955, 1960
Line 5. globules ] Globules– 1955, 1960
alleys, ] Alleys– 1955, 1960
Line 6. Oh! ] oh, 1945
Oh, 1955, 1960
shower ] Shower 1955, 1960
stain ] Stain-- 1955, 1960
Line 7. winds ] Winds-- 1955, 1960
basin ] Basin-- 1955, 1960
Line 8. scarlet rain! ] Scarlet Rain-- 1955, 1960
Line 9. bonnets ] Bonnets-- 1955, 1960
below, ] below-- 1955, 1960
Line 10. pools, ] Pools-- 1955, 1960
Line 11. Then ] Then-- 1955, 1960
rose away, ] rose away 1945
Rose--away-- 1955, 1960
Line 12. And leaves me with the hills. ] Upon vermilion wheels. 1945
Upon Vermillion Wheels-- 1955
Upon Vermilion Wheels-- 1960
"Saturday" "From all the jails the boys and girls"
Title. Saturday ] No title 1936, 1960
Line 1. From ] enlarged F 1936
FROM 1896
Line 2. leap,-- ] leap -- 1960
Line 3. Beloved, ] Beloved 1960
Line 4. Doesn't ] does'nt 1896, 1960
keep. ] keep 1960
Line 5. earth ] Earth 1960
air ] Air 1960
Line 6. A mob of solid bliss; ] A Mob of solid Bliss -- 1960
bliss; ] bliss. 1896, 1936
Line 7. Alas! ] Alas -- 1960
could ] should 1960
frowns ] Frowns 1960
Dusk (alt) 1960
Line 8. this ] this -- 1960
foe ] Foe 1960
Sweet (alt) 1960
Bud -- Glee -- Dawn -- Scene -- Dew -- Joy (alts) 1960
"Heart's Ease" "I'm the little 'Heart's Ease' "
[Bianchi (1929) and Johnson (1955 and 1960) printed the poem in two quatrains and one six-line stanza.]
Line 1. I'm ] I'M [see] 1929
heart's-ease! ] "Hearts' Ease!" 1929
"Heart's Ease"! 1955, 1960
Line 2. don't ] dont 1955
Line 3. butterfly ] Butterfly 1955, 1960
Line 4. I, therefore, ] I therefore 1929
Line 5. coward bumble-bee ] coward bumblebee 1929
Coward Bumble Bee 1955, 1960
Line 6. chimney-corner ] chimney corner 1955, 1960
Line 7. I ] I, 1955, 1960
resolute be! ] resoluter be; 1929
resoluter be! 1955, 1960
Line 9. Dear, ] Dear 1929
old-fashioned ] Old fashioned, 1955, 1960
flower! ] flower, 1929
Line 10. old-fashioned, too– ] old-fashioned too! 1929
old fashioned, too! 1955, 1960
Line 11. fellows– ] fellows, 1929
fellows! 1955, 1960
Line 12. blue,– ] blue– 1929
blue. 1955, 1960
Line 13. will I, ] may you, 1929
heart's-ease ] "Hearts' Ease", 1929
Heart's Ease– 1955, 1960
Line 14. do. ] do! 1955, 1960
"Nature's Way" "Were nature mortal lady"
Title. Nature's Way. ] Nature's Way 1949
No title 1960
"In September" "September's"
Rationale specific to collation of "In September"
[All three print versions collated delete the heading and title that appeared in The Youth's Companion. All also dispense with the author's name at the bottom of the poem.]
Line 1. September's Baccalaureate ] SEPTEMBER'S baccalaureate 1945
Line 3. Of crickets, crows and retrospects, ] Of crickets, crows, and retrospects, 1945
Of Crickets–Crows–and Retrospects 1955, 1960
Line 4. breeze ] Breeze 1955, 1960
Line 5. That hints ] That hints, 1945
assuming, ] assuming– 1955, 1960
Line 6. innuendo sere, ] innuendo sere 1945
Innuendo sear 1955, 1960
Line 7. heart ] Heart 1955, 1960
its ] it's 1955
fun, ] fun 1945
Fun 1955, 1960
Line 8. philosopher ] Philosopher 1955, 1960
[Todd and Bingham link a footnote to the poem's final line that identifies its original publication in The Youth's Companion.]
"My Little King" "I met a king this afternoon!"
Line 1. met ] MET [sm] 1945
king ] King 1955, 1960
afternoon; ] afternoon! 1955, 1960
Line 2. crown ] crown, 1945
Crown 1955, 1960
indeed, ] indeed 1945
Line 3. palm-leaf hat ] Palmleaf Hat 1955, 1960
Line 4. barefoot, ] barefoot 1945
afraid. ] afraid ! 1955, 1960
Line 5. ermine ] Ermine 1955, 1960
Line 6. jacket's ] Jacket's 1955, 1960
blue– ] blue, 1945
Line 7. am ] am, 1955, 1960
Line 8. jacket's pocket, too. ] Jacket's pocket too! 1955, 1960
pocket, ] pocket 1945
Line 9. Earl– ] earl, 1945
Line 10. Marquis ] marquis 1945
grand– ] grand, 1945
grand! 1955, 1960
Line 11. Czar ] czar 1945
petite, ] petite– 1955, 1960
Line 12. Pope, ] pope, 1945
kind. ] kind! 1945, 1955, 1960
Line 13. horse ] Horse 1955, 1960
Line 14. monarch ] Monarch 1955, 1960
rein, ] rein– 1955, 1960
Line 15. beast, ] beast 1945
Beast, 1955, 1960
Line 16. run. ] run! 1955, 1960
Line 21. Princes ] princes 1945
Line 22. partook– ] partook, 1945
partook! 1955, 1960
Line 24. sovereigns ] sovreigns 1955
took. ] took! 1955, 1960
Line 25. royal coach ] Royal Coach 1955, 1960
Line 26. footmen ] Footmen 1955, 1960
Line 27. Significance, ] significance, 1945, 1955, 1960
Line 28. barefoot estate! ] Barefoot Estate! 1955, 1960
The editors seek to reproduce, as closely as possible, Emily Dickinson's texts as they appeared in The Youth's Companion throughout the course of the 1890s. In this archive, Dickinson's signature long and short dashes have been translated into em dashes (--) and en dashes (-) respectively. All efforts have been made to replicate The Youth's Companion texts just as they appeared in the magazine; this replication includes the reproduction of all editorial deviation from printed editions and from the manuscript or copy-script. The Collation of Witnesses uses the Companion's text as its base text, comparing all printed editions to it. This Collation is an ongoing effort, and will be continually emended as subsequent versions of the poems included herein become known and available to us.
Bolts of Melody. Ed. Mabel Loomis Todd and Millicent Todd Bingham. New York, London: Harper & Brothers, 1945.
The Book Buyer. Third Series, Vol. XI, Oct. 1894
Poems; including variant readings critically compared with all known manuscripts. Ed. Thomas H. Johnson. 3 vols. Cambridge: Belknap-Harvard UP, 1955.
The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson. Ed. Thomas H. Johnson. Boston, Toronto, London: Little, Brown and Co., 1960.
Poems by Emily Dickinson. Ed. Mabel Loomis Todd and T.W. Higginson. Boston, Roberts Brothers, 1890.
Poems by Emily Dickinson, 2nd Series. Ed. Mabel Loomis Todd and T.W. Higginson. Boston, Roberts Brothers, 1891.
Poems by Emily Dickinson, 3rd Series. Ed. Mabel Loomis Todd. Boston, Roberts Brothers, 1896.
The Poems of Emily Dickinson. Ed. Martha Dickinson Bianchi and Alfred Leete Hampson. Boston: Little, Brown, and Co. 1936
American Literature., Vol. XX (1949) p. 437.
Rationale for Diplomatic Rendering of "In September"
Below are the results of a complete collation of "September's Baccalaureate" with three other print versions: Todd and Bingham (1945) and Johnson (1955) and (1960). I have noted all variants, even where they might be construed as being printer's conventions. Telling is that I was unable to represent the manuscript variants in the display below and instead had to place a diplomatic rendering of the manuscript directly next to the poem. Dickinson's manuscript, with its vastly different line breaks, defies the system used below, which proves so useful for print. How do you show variants by line when an eighteen-line poem in manuscript has always been edited down to eight lines?
The diplomatic rendering is based on the manuscript as it is reproduced in The Manuscript Books of Emily Dickinson (Ed. R.H. Franklin, vol. 2 of 2, Cambridge, MA, Belknap-Harvard UP, 1981, p. 1379). Franklin places the poem in the last set–15.