Analysis of I have never seen

Emily Dickinson 1830 (Amherst) – 1886 (Amherst)



I have never seen "Volcanoes"—
But, when Travellers tell
How those old—phlegmatic mountains
Usually so still—

Bear within—appalling Ordnance,
Fire, and smoke, and gun,
Taking Villages for breakfast,
And appalling Men—

If the stillness is Volcanic
In the human face
When upon a pain Titanic
Features keep their place—

If at length the smouldering anguish
Will not overcome—
And the palpitating Vineyard
In the dust, be thrown?

If some loving Antiquary,
On Resumption Morn,
Will not cry with joy "Pompeii"!
To the Hills return!


Scheme XXXX XXXX ABAB XXXX XXXX
Poetic Form Etheree  (35%)
Tetractys  (30%)
Quatrain  (20%)
Metre 11101010 111001 11101010 100011 10101010 100101 10100110 00101 10101010 00101 10101010 10111 1110110 1110 00100010 00111 11101 10101 111111 10101
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 528
Words 86
Sentences 4
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 20
Letters per line (avg) 21
Words per line (avg) 4
Letters per stanza (avg) 84
Words per stanza (avg) 17
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

26 sec read
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Emily Dickinson

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. more…

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