He told a homely tale

Emily Dickinson 1830 (Amherst) – 1886 (Amherst)



He told a homely tale
And spotted it with tears—
Upon his infant face was set
The Cicatrice of years—

All crumpled was the cheek
No other kiss had known
Than flake of snow, divided with
The Redbreast of the Barn—

If Mother—in the Grave—
Or Father—on the Sea—
Or Father in the Firmament—
Or Brethren, had he—

If Commonwealth below,
Or Commonwealth above
Have missed a Barefoot Citizen—
I've ransomed it—alive—

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 02, 2023

22 sec read
414

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXAX XXXX XBAB XXXX
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 425
Words 74
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4

Emily Dickinson

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. more…

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