SHE rose to his requirement, dropt

SHE rose to his requirement, dropt
The playthings of her life
To take the honorable work
Of woman and of wife.

If aught she missed in her new day
Of amplitude, or awe,
Or first prospective, or the gold
In using wore away,

It lay unmentioned, as the sea
Develops pearl and weed,
But only to himself is known
The fathoms they abide.

Emily Dickinson

Emily meditates on sacrifice in marriage.

She received his demands, threw away
The trifle in her girlhood
To take the honorable work
Of woman and of wife.

If she missed in her new day
Any of importance, or awe
Or prospective, or faded gold
While she’s using,

It lay unspoken, as the sea
Grows pearl and weed,
But the depth they live
Is known only to him.