Emily Dickinson
“Not knowing when the Dawn will come,
I open every Door,”
I open every Door,”
manuscript, c. 1884
Documented source
Source
Fair-copy autograph manuscriptAmherst College Archives & Special Collections
Date
c. 1884
Wording
Matches Dickinson’s manuscriptCapitalized “Dawn” and “Door,” comma after “come” — as written.
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About this line
A late, four-line poem Dickinson fair-copied around 1884. Not knowing when the dawn will come — or the bird, or the tide — she opens every door anyway. A small, stubborn act of readiness: you can’t schedule the good thing, so you stay open to it.
Why we carry this line
This one got me. Opening every door because you’re not sure, not because you are — effort and faith in one line.
