Analysis of Your Riches—taught me—Poverty

Emily Dickinson 1830 (Amherst) – 1886 (Amherst)



Your Riches—taught me—Poverty.
Myself—a Millionaire
In little Wealths, as Girls could boast
Till broad as Buenos Ayre—

You drifted your Dominions—
A Different Peru—
And I esteemed All Poverty
For Life's Estate with you—

Of Mines, I little know—myself—
But just the names, of Gems—
The Colors of the Commonest—
And scarce of Diadems—

So much, that did I meet the Queen—
Her Glory I should know—
But this, must be a different Wealth—
To miss it—beggars so—

I'm sure 'tis India—all Day—
To those who look on You—
Without a stint—without a blame,
Might I—but be the Jew—

I'm sure it is Golconda—
Beyond my power to deem—
To have a smile for Mine—each Day,
How better, than a Gem!

At least, it solaces to know
That there exists—a Gold—
Altho' I prove it, just in time
Its distance—to behold—

Its far—far Treasure to surmise—
And estimate the Pearl—
That slipped my simple fingers through—
While just a Girl at School.


Scheme ABXB CDAD XCAC XEXC FDXD XXFX EGXG CXDX
Poetic Form Quatrain  (75%)
Metre 11011100 1001 01011111 111101 11011 010001 01011100 110111 1111011 110111 010101 0111 11111101 010111 111101001 111101 11110011 111111 01010101 111101 1111010 0111011 11011111 110101 111111 110101 1111101 110101 11110101 010001 11110101 110111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 957
Words 164
Sentences 4
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 32
Letters per line (avg) 22
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 87
Words per stanza (avg) 20
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 28, 2023

50 sec read
112

Emily Dickinson

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. more…

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