Like Rain it sounded till it curved
And then I knew ’twas Wind —
It walked as wet as any Wave
But swept as dry as sand —
When it had pushed itself away
To some remotest Plain
A coming as of Hosts was heard
That was indeed the Rain —
It filled the Wells, it pleased the Pools
It warbled in the Road —
It pulled the spigot from the Hills
And let the Floods abroad —
It loosened acres, lifted seas
The sites of Centres stirred
Then like Elijah rode away
Upon a Wheel of Cloud.

Analysis, meaning and summary of Emily Dickinson's poem Like Rain it sounded till it curved

4 Comments

  1. Kabir Hossain Taposh says:

    She is one of my favourites! Her poems are small in in size but contains the largest sea of emotions!

  2. Finn Lovsted says:

    I recall another line that I don’t see in this version, but which is in a collection edited by Ted Hughes, ‘By Heart: 101 Poems to Remember’.

    After the line:
    A coming as of Hosts was heard

    Should be (?):
    That was indeed the rain

    • Caitlyn Warriner says:

      your right, in the version from her full poem collection that line is included

    • American Poems says:

      The source we used, Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson (1955), did not have that line included. However, upon researching this, it appears you both are right. That line should be included and I have edited the poem accordingly.

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