Analysis of The only ghost I ever saw

Emily Dickinson 1830 (Amherst) – 1886 (Amherst)



The only ghost I ever saw
Was dressed in mechlin, --so;
He wore no sandal on his foot,
And stepped like flakes of snow.
His gait was soundless, like the bird,
But rapid, like the roe;
His fashions quaint, mosaic,
Or, haply, mistletoe.

Hi conversation seldom,
His laughter like the breeze
That dies away in dimples
Among the pensive trees.
Our interview was transient, --
Of me, himself was shy;
And God forbid I look behind
Since that appalling day!


Scheme XAXAXAXA XBXBXXXX
Poetic Form
Metre 01011101 11011 11110111 011111 1111101 110101 1101010 1110 101010 110101 1101010 010101 1010110 110111 01011101 110101
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 442
Words 82
Sentences 5
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 8
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 22
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 174
Words per stanza (avg) 40
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 01, 2023

24 sec read
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Emily Dickinson

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. more…

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