He touched me, so I live to know
That such a day, permitted so,
I groped upon his breast.
It was a boundless place to me,
And silenced, as the awful sea
Puts minor streams to rest.
And now, I ’m different from before,
As if I breathed superior air,
Or brushed a royal gown;
My feet, too, that had wandered so,
My gypsy face transfigured now
To tenderer renown.
-Emily Dickinson
art by j. w. waterhouse
--------------------------
This is one of my favorite Emily Dickinson poems. To me, 'He touched me, so I live to know' is about love changing you, in this case for the better.
'And now, I ’m different from before,
As if I breathed superior air,
Or brushed a royal gown'
And if you are changed, and can never be the same again. That can be a good thing or a bad thing, it depends on if the love was true or not.
