Again—his voice is at the door

Summary


"Again—his voice is at the door" is a short Emily Dickinson poem that captures the hush of a long-awaited visit. A woman hears a beloved voice, picks a flower to justify her face, and crosses the hall with trembling steps. Their careful talk, a walk with only the moon for company, and an hour of near-confession build quiet tension. What does such a moment cost, and who must count the price?

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Again—his voice is at the door—
I feel the old Degree—
I hear him ask the servant
For such an one—as me—

I take a flower—as I go—
My face to justify—
He never saw me—in this life—
I might surprise his eye!

I cross the Hall with mingled steps—
I—silent—pass the door—
I look on all this world contains—
Just his face—nothing more!

We talk in careless—and it toss—
A kind of plummet strain—
Each—sounding—shyly—
Just—how—deep—
The other’s one—had been—

We walk—I leave my Dog—at home—
A tender—thoughtful Moon—
Goes with us—just a little way—
And—then—we are alone—

A woman holding a flower walks with a man under the moon in the poem Again—his voice is at the door by Emily Dickinson

Alone—if Angels are “alone”—
First time they try the sky!
Alone—if those “veiled faces”—be—
We cannot count—on High!

I’d give—to live that hour—again—
The purple—in my Vein—
But He must count the drops—himself—
My price for every stain!


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Credits

Emily Dickinson was a 19th-century American poet from Amherst, Massachusetts, famed for her compressed, dash-filled verse. Most of her poems were published only after her death, and this one shows her gift for turning private feeling into a quiet drama.