Analysis of I have a King, who does not speak

Emily Dickinson 1830 (Amherst) – 1886 (Amherst)



I have a King, who does not speak—
So—wondering—thro' the hours meek
I trudge the day away—
Half glad when it is night, and sleep,
If, haply, thro' a dream, to peep
In parlors, shut by day.

And if I do—when morning comes—
It is as if a hundred drums
Did round my pillow roll,
And shouts fill all my Childish sky,
And Bells keep saying "Victory"
From steeples in my soul!

And if I don't—the little Bird
Within the Orchard, is not heard,
And I omit to pray
"Father, thy will be done" today
For my will goes the other way,
And it were perjury!


Scheme AABCCB DDEXFE GGBBBF
Poetic Form
Metre 11011111 110010101 110101 11111101 1110111 010111 01111101 11110101 111101 01111101 01110100 110011 01110101 01010111 010111 10111101 11110101 010100
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 545
Words 108
Sentences 4
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6
Lines Amount 18
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 135
Words per stanza (avg) 35
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

32 sec read
96

Emily Dickinson

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. more…

All Emily Dickinson poems | Emily Dickinson Books

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