Analysis of I cannot live with You (No. 640)

Emily Dickinson 1830 (Amherst) – 1886 (Amherst)



I cannot live with You--
It would be Life--
And Life is over there--
Behind the Shelf

The Sexton keeps the Key to--
Putting up
Our Life--His Porcelain--
Like a Cup--

Discarded of the Housewife--
Quaint--or Broke--
A newer Sevres pleases--
Old Ones crack--

I could not die--with You--
For One must wait
To shut the Other's Gaze down--
You--could not--

And I--could I stand by
And see You--freeze--
Without my Right of Frost--
Death's privilege?

Nor could I rise--with You--
Because Your Face
Would put out Jesus'--
That New Grace

Glow plain--and foreign
On my homesick Eye--
Except that You than He
Shone closer by--

They'd judge Us--How--
For You--served Heaven--You know,
Or sought to--
I could not--

Because You saturated Sight--
And I had no more Eyes
For sordid excellence
As Paradise

And were You lost, I would be--
Though My Name
Rang loudest
On the Heavenly fame--

And were You--saved--
And I--condemned to be
Where You were not--
That self--were Hell to Me--

So We must meet apart--
You there--I--here--
With just the Door ajar
That Oceans are--and Prayer--
And that White Sustenance--
Despair--


Scheme ABCX ADED BXXX AXXF GXXX AHXH EGIG XXAF XXJX IKXK XIFI XXXCJC
Poetic Form Tetractys  (48%)
Etheree  (30%)
Metre 110111 1111 011101 0101 0101011 101 1011100 101 010101 111 010110 111 111111 1111 1101011 111 011111 0111 011111 110 111111 0111 11110 111 11010 1111 011111 1101 1111 1111011 111 111 0111001 011111 110100 110 0011111 111 110 101001 0011 010111 1101 110111 111101 1111 110101 110101 011100 01
Closest metre Iambic dimeter
Characters 1,062
Words 189
Sentences 2
Stanzas 12
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 6
Lines Amount 50
Letters per line (avg) 16
Words per line (avg) 4
Letters per stanza (avg) 68
Words per stanza (avg) 16
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 03, 2023

57 sec read
202

Emily Dickinson

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. more…

All Emily Dickinson poems | Emily Dickinson Books

51 fans

Discuss this Emily Dickinson poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "I cannot live with You (No. 640)" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 2 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/11728/i-cannot-live-with-you-%28no.-640%29>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    June 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    28
    days
    16
    hours
    54
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    AA Milne wrote: "A bear, however hard he tries..."
    A "grows tubby with no exercise"
    B "stinks and attracts the flies"
    C "can never stop telling lies"
    D "has very very tired eyes"