758.1863.A little Road – not made of Man –
(ED’s Alternate words in parentheses) [LarryB’s comments in brackets]
“A little Road – not made of Man –
Enabled of the Eye –
Accessible to Thill [Buggy] of Bee –
Or Cart of Butterfly –
“If Town it have – beyond (besides) itself –
‘Tis that – I cannot say –
I only know (sigh) – no Curricle [Carriage] that rumble[s] there
Bear (Hold) me – ”
Talk about “infinite variety”, this little eight-line jewel, carved by the Cleopatra of Words, sets a lovely scene [Stanza 1], a preview of Dorothy’s Yellow Brick Road to the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Here, in F758, a mere 51 words carry us from ED’s garden to Heaven’s Gate, if Heaven exists [Stanza 2]:
“If Town it have – beyond (besides) itself –
‘Tis that – I cannot say –
I only know – no [Carriage] that rumble[s] there
Bear[s] (Hold) me – ”
For a poet who wanted to believe that she and Charles Wadsworth, the male love-of-her-life, had agreed to meet and marry in Heaven, Stanza 2 sounds awfully iffy.
Maybe she’s fishing for Wadsworth’s reassurance. Or, maybe she’s realizing that their agreement was a fairy tale.
PS [OED]:
Thill: The pole or shaft by which a wagon, cart, or other vehicle is attached to the animal drawing it, esp. one of the pair of shafts between which a single draught animal is placed.
Curricle: A light two-wheeled carriage, usually drawn by two horses abreast.