I’ve None to Tell Me to but Thee
poem 881
I’ve None to Tell Me to but Thee - meaning Summary
Solitude and Spiritual Dependency
The poem addresses an intimate, possibly spiritual addressee—capitalized 'Thou'—and explores the speaker’s solitary dependence on that other. When the relationship falters, the speaker risks total isolation because there is no one else to turn to. Dickinson imagines reversed roles and asks whether the addressee would pursue her if she were the one who receded, testing reciprocity and longing across a boundary that separates them.
Read Complete AnalysesI’ve none to tell me to but Thee So when Thou failest, nobody. It was a little tie It just held Two, nor those it held Since Somewhere thy sweet Face has spilled Beyond my Boundary If things were opposite and Me And Me it were that ebbed from Thee On some unanswering Shore Would’st Thou seek so just say That I the Answer may pursue Unto the lips it eddied through So overtaking Thee
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