Analysis of What care the Dead, for Chanticleer

Emily Dickinson 1830 (Amherst) – 1886 (Amherst)



What care the Dead, for Chanticleer—
What care the Dead for Day?
'Tis late your Sunrise vex their face—
And Purple Ribaldry—of Morning

Pour as blank on them
As on the Tier of Wall
The Mason builded, yesterday,
And equally as cool—

What care the Dead for Summer?
The Solstice had no Sun
Could waste the Snow before their Gate—
And knew One Bird a Tune—

Could thrill their Mortised Ear
Of all the Birds that be—
This One—beloved of Mankind
Henceforward cherished be—

What care the Dead for Winter?
Themselves as easy freeze—
June Noon—as January Night—
As soon the South—her Breeze

Of Sycamore—or Cinnamon—
Deposit in a Stone
And put a Stone to keep it Warm—
Give Spices—unto Men—


Scheme ABXX XXBX ACXX ADXD AEXE CXXX
Poetic Form Quatrain  (33%)
Metre 110111 110111 1111111 010100110 11111 110111 010110 010011 1101110 010111 11010111 011101 11111 110111 1101111 1101 1101110 011101 1111001 110101 1101100 010001 01011111 110101
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 699
Words 123
Sentences 4
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 22
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 89
Words per stanza (avg) 20
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 05, 2023

36 sec read
154

Emily Dickinson

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. more…

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