A Bird, came down the Walk –
He did not know I saw –
He bit an Angleworm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw –

And then he drank a Dew
From a convenient Grass –
And then hopped sidewise to the Wall
To let a Beetle pass –

He glanced with rapid Eyes
That hurried all around –
They looked like frightened Beads, I thought –
He stirred his Velvet Head –

Like one in danger, Cautious
I offered him a Crumb
And he unrolled his feathers
And rode them – softer Home –

Than Oars divide the Ocean,
Too silver for a seam –
Or Butterflies, off Banks of Noon,
Leap, splashless, as they swim –

  • Emily Dickinson