Analysis of The only ghost I ever saw
Emily Dickinson 1830 (Amherst) – 1886 (Amherst)
The only ghost I ever saw
Was dressed in mechlin, --so;
He wore no sandal on his foot,
And stepped like flakes of snow.
His gait was soundless, like the bird,
But rapid, like the roe;
His fashions quaint, mosaic,
Or, haply, mistletoe.
Hi conversation seldom,
His laughter like the breeze
That dies away in dimples
Among the pensive trees.
Our interview was transient, --
Of me, himself was shy;
And God forbid I look behind
Since that appalling day!
Scheme | XAXAXAXA XBXBXXXX |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 01011101 11011 11110111 011111 1111101 110101 1101010 1110 101010 110101 1101010 010101 1010110 110111 01011101 110101 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 442 |
Words | 82 |
Sentences | 5 |
Stanzas | 2 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 16 |
Letters per line (avg) | 22 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 174 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 40 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 01, 2023
- 24 sec read
- 930 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"The only ghost I ever saw" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 10 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/12225/the-only-ghost-i-ever-saw>.
Discuss this Emily Dickinson poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In