I was the slightest in the House－1
I took the smallest Room－
At night, my little Lamp, and Book－
And one Geranium－
So stationed I could catch the Mint 5
That never ceased to fall－
And just my Basket－
Let me think－I'm sure－
That this was all－
I never spoke－unless addressed－10
And then, 'twas brief and low－
I could not bear to live－aloud－
The Racket shamed me so－
And if it had not been so far－14
And any one I knew
Were going－I had often thought
How noteless－I could die－
I took the smallest Room－
At night, my little Lamp, and Book－
And one Geranium－
So stationed I could catch the Mint 5
That never ceased to fall－
And just my Basket－
Let me think－I'm sure－
That this was all－
I never spoke－unless addressed－10
And then, 'twas brief and low－
I could not bear to live－aloud－
The Racket shamed me so－
And if it had not been so far－14
And any one I knew
Were going－I had often thought
How noteless－I could die－
(F.473/J.486)
[1] I:: a waste-paper basket.
[3-5] Lamp, Book, stationed:: the basket was beside a writing desk.
[5] the Mint:: the coined, new words on paper being dropped.
[7] Basket:: a hint on the answer.
[8] just:: to adjust (OED v.2); to arrange or dispose (a thing) suitably in relation to its parts (OED adjust 4a).
[9] this was all:: all the function of a waste-paper basket.
[10] addressed:: pointed, aimed.
[11] brief and low:: the sound of hitting the basket with a racket.
[13] Racket:: a bat.
[14] far:: far beyond one can endure, a full basket.
[16] going:: going to dump it.
[17] noteless:: the basket is only noticed when people dump it.
Waste-paper basket, of artificial brilliants, the mass of which is a composition of tin, lead, and bismuth, and consists of many thousand separate parts which are soldered together and fastened upon wire rings. ─ Official Descriptive and Illustrated Catalogue of the Great Exhibition (1851)