Could I but ride indefinite

Emily Dickinson 1830 (Amherst) – 1886 (Amherst)



Could I but ride indefinite
As doth the Meadow Bee
And visit only where I liked
And No one visit me

And flirt all Day with Buttercups
And marry whom I may
And dwell a little everywhere
Or better, run away

With no Police to follow
Or chase Him if He do
Till He should jump Peninsulas
To get away from me—

I said "But just to be a Bee"
Upon a Raft of Air
And row in Nowhere all Day long
And anchor "off the Bar"

What Liberty! So Captives deem
Who tight in Dungeons are.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 02, 2023

29 sec read
420

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAXA BCDC XXBA ADXE XE
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 460
Words 99
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 2

Emily Dickinson

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. more…

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