One need not be a chamber to be haunted,

Emily Dickinson 1830 (Amherst) – 1886 (Amherst)



One need not be a chamber to be haunted,
One need not be a house;
The brain has corridors surpassing
Material place.

Far safer, of a midnight meeting
External ghost,
Than an interior confronting
That whiter host.

Far safer through an Abbey gallop,
The stones achase,
Than, moonless, one's own self encounter
In lonesome place.

Ourself, behind ourself concealed,
Should startle most;
Assassin, hid in our apartment,
Be horror's least.

The prudent carries a revolver,
He bolts the door,
O'erlooking a superior spectre
More near.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 01, 2023

27 sec read
1,299

Quick analysis:

Scheme XABC BDBD XAEC XDXX EXEX
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 515
Words 87
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Emily Dickinson

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. more…

All Emily Dickinson poems | Emily Dickinson Books

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1 Comment
  • mic.83255
    I find this a superb metaphor for Depression, suicide being the superior spectre, more near. Emily was a talented and sensitive genius of poetry.
    LikeReply1 year ago

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"One need not be a chamber to be haunted," Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/12026/one-need-not-be-a-chamber-to-be-haunted,>.

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