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By The Sea.

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I started early, took my dog,     And visited the sea;     The mermaids in the basement     Came out to look at me,     And frigates in the upper floor     Extended hempen hands,     Presuming me to be a mouse     Aground, upon the sands.     But no man moved me till the tide     Went past my simple shoe,     And past my apron and my belt,     And past my bodice too,     And made as he would eat me up     As wholly as a dew     Upon a dandelion's sleeve --     And then I started too.     And he -- he followed close behind;     I felt his silver heel     Upon my ankle, -- then my shoes     Would overflow with pearl.     Until we met the solid town,     No man he seemed to know;     And bowing with a mighty look     At me, the sea withdrew.

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"I started early, took my dog,..."

"By The Sea." is a quintessential example of Emily Elizabeth Dickinson's signature style... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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