NOTES

Emily Dickinson sent this poem to Susan Dickinson, her sister-in-law, in 1882. Dickinson alludes to two mysterious lands. Ophir was conquered for an ancient king and holds an age-old promise of great riches. Peru was conquered and rent of its agricultural riches by Spaniards in the sixteenth century, and, during Dickinson's lifetime, was the stage of violent rebellion against its colonial ruler.

Ophir: a country of uncertain location, possibly southern Arabia or the eastern coast of Africa, from which gold and precious stones and trees were brought for Solomon, a Biblical king.

Peru: "The name of Peru was not known to the natives. It was given by the Spaniards, and originated, it is said, in a misapprehension of the Indian name of 'river'" (Prescott, 752).

This poem/letter is presented here as transcribed by Martha Nell Smith and Ellen Hart in Open Me Carefully.To see an image of the manuscript, follow this link to the Dickinson Electronic Archive (password protected).