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occ's avatar

What Emily Dickenson poem is this line from?

Asked by occ (4179points) November 27th, 2007

I came across this quote attributed to Emily Dickenson: “To multiply the harbors does not reduce the sea.” Does anyone know what poem it’s from? I can’t find it anywhere.

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7 Answers

bob's avatar

That quotation is from a letter Dickinson wrote to Perez Cowan. You can find the letter here or by searching “multiply the harbors” on books.google.com (if you want to find a more precise attribution for the quotation).

She may have also used the line in a poem. If so, I can’t find it.

andrew's avatar

Unrelated side note: You can sing any of Dickenson’s poems to The Yellow Rose of Texas

gailcalled's avatar

@andrew; that made my day, in spite of flu.

needaclue's avatar

Her poems can also be sung to the Gilligan’s Island theme song:

“Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip”

“Because I could not stop for death, he kindly stopped for me”

See?

andrew's avatar

@needaclue: So can that great Cavalier poem “To the virgins…”

Gather ye roses, while ye may
Old time is still a-flyin’
And this same flower which blooms today
Tomorrow will be dyin’ (Tomorrow will be dyin’!)

(Paraphrased from the annals of my memory)

blakemasnor's avatar

and to Amazing Grace!!!

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