- ED’s alternate words, Lines 4, 7, 17, 19, and 20, are in parentheses.
- For clarity, in Line 4 my alternate word “your” [in brackets] would replace ED’s original word “the”.
- In Line 11 of her manuscript, ED crossed out “ine” and wrote “y” in “Thine”.
- In Lines 4, 7, 17, 19, I prefer ED’s original words.
- In Line 20, I prefer ED’s alternate word, “is”:
Wert Thou but ill—that I might show thee
How long a Day I could endure
Though thine attention stop not on me
Nor the [your] least signal, Me (Mine) assure—
Wert Thou but Stranger in ungracious country—
And Mine—the Door
Thou paused at, for a passing (doubtful) bounty—
No More—
Accused—wert Thou—and Myself—Tribunal—
Convicted—Sentenced—Ermine—not to Me
Half the Condition (distinction), thy (made from “thine”) Reverse—to follow—
Just to partake [share]—the infamy—
The Tenant of the Narrow Cottage, wert Thou—
Permit to be
The Housewife in thy low attendance
Contenteth Me—
No Service hast Thou, I would not achieve (attempt ) it—
To die—or live—
The first—Sweet, proved I (That was), ere I saw thee—
For Life—be (is) Love—
My interpretation of “Wert Thou but ill” (Fr821):
- If you, Reverend Wadsworth, were ill, I would show you how long a day I could endure caring for you, even though you paid no attention to me nor gave me the least signal to assure me that you cared.
- If you were a stranger in an ungracious country and mine the only door you paused at for a passing meal, nothing more, I would feed you.
- If you were accused and I were the judge, I would not convict or sentence you. If you were convicted by a judge, I would serve half your sentence if doing so would reduce your sentence by half, simply to share your infamy.
- If you were the tenant of a tiny cottage and I were permitted to be your attentive housewife, I would be contented.
- There is nothing you could ask of me that I would not give you, including my death or my life. I proved I would die for you, Sweet, in letters before we met. Life for me is Love of You.
PS1: ED Lexicon provides a standard definition of “Ermine”, which is worse than useless for readers of ‘Wert Thou but ill—that I might show thee’ (Fr821). Fortunately, Miller (2016) rescued us: “Because a judge’s robe was traditionally lined with ermine, the word ‘ermine’ was used frequently to mean ‘judge’.”(Footnote 332)
PS2. I think when ED composed this poem she was thinking about her “Master”, Reverend Charles Wadsworth, to whom she had written in “early 1861” (Franklin 1998):
· · · · · · · · ·
“Master — open your life wide, and take me in forever, I will never be tired — I will never be noisy when you want to be still. I will be [glad] [as the] your best little girl nobody else will see me —, but you — but that is enough — I shall not want any more — and all that Heaven only will disappoint me — will be because it’s not so dear” (draft letter MLJ3F2).
· · · · · · · · · ·
And, in “summer 1861” (ibid.), she had written:
· · · · · · · ·
“I am older – tonight, Master – but the love is the same – so are the moon and the crescent. If it had been God’s will that I might breathe where you breathed – and find the place – myself – at night — if I (can) never forget that I am not with you – and that sorrow and frost are nearer than I – if I wish with a might I cannot repress – that mine were the Queen’s place – the love of the Plantagenet is my only apology – To come nearer than presbyteries – and nearer than the new Coat – that the Tailor made – the prank of the Heart at play on: the Heart – in holy Holiday-is forbidden me –” (draft letter MLJ2F3)
· · · · · · · · ·
PS3: There are two disparate poem structures, the one above(↑), [1] Johnson (1955, J961), Franklin (1998, Fr821) and TPB’s (2025), and [2] Miller’s (2016, below↓):
“Wert Thou but ill – that I might show thee
How long a Day I could endure
Though thine attention stop not on me
Nor the least signal, Me assure –
Wert Thou but stranger in ungracious country –
And Mine – the Door
. . . . . . . . . . Thou paused at, for a passing bounty –
No More –
Accused – wert Thou – and Myself – Tribunal –
Convicted – sentenced – Ermine – not to Me
. . . . . . . . . . Half the Condition, thy Reverse – to follow –
Just to partake – the infamy –
The Tenant of the narrow Cottage, wert Thou
Permit to be
The Housewife in thy low attendance
Contenteth Me –
. . . . . . . . . . No Service hast Thou, I would not achieve it –
To die – or live –
. . . . . . . . . .The first – Sweet, proved I, ere I saw thee –
For Life – be Love –
I have no idea why Miller (2016) did this to ED’s poem. There is nothing in ED’s MS to warrant Miller’s mutilation. (LSB 2026-03-04).
Franklin, RW (ed.), 1986.The Master Letters of Emily Dickinson. Amherst College Press, 48 pp.
Franklin, RW (ed.), 1998, The Poems of Emily Dickinson, 3 vols. Harvard University Press, 1654 pp.
Johnson, T. H., (ed.), 1955, The Poems of Emily Dickinson, 3 vols., 1266 pp., Harvard Univ. Press
LSB 2026-03-04 [That’s me, Lawrence S. Barden, and today’s date]
Miller, Christine, 2016. Emily Dickinson’s Poems: As She Preserved Them . Harvard University Press. 864 pp., Kindle Edition.