Memorials
Death sets a thing significantThe eye had hurried by,Except a perished creatureEntreat us tenderly
To ponder little workmanshipsIn crayon or in wool,With "This was last her fingers did,"Industrious until
The thimble weighed too heavy,The stitches stopped themselves,And then 't was put among the dustUpon the closet shelves.
A book I have, a friend gave,Whose pencil, here and there,Had notched the place that pleased him, --At rest his fingers are.
Now, when I read, I read not,For interrupting tearsObliterate the etchingsToo costly for repairs.
Words in this poem
- entreat v. t.
- To treat, or conduct toward; to deal with; to use. [OE. entreten to treat, request, OF. entraiter to treat of; pref. en- (L. in) + traitier to treat. See Treat.]
- tenderly adv.
- In a tender manner; with tenderness; mildly; gently; softly; in a manner not to injure or give pain; with pity or affection; kindly.
- industrious a.
- Given to industry; characterized by diligence; constantly, regularly, or habitually occupied; busy; assiduous; not slothful or idle; -- commonly implying devotion to lawful and useful labor. [L. industrius, industriosus: cf. F. industrieux. See Industry.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Memorials is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poems by Emily Dickinson, Three Series, Complete, Project Gutenberg ebook #12242; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Emily Dickinson, Memorials, in Poems (1890–1896), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #12242, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/dickinson-poems/memorials.html, id L03715.
Form and metre
Memorials is 20 lines in 5 stanzas of 4 lines each. The metre is common measure, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 93%). 98% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 6.7 syllables. 5 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 40% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in common measure.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 3 -A-A heavy · themselvesA · dust · shelvesA
- 5 -A-A not · tearsA · etchings · repairsA
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against common measure. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Death sets a thing significant | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| The eye had hurried by, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Except a perished creature | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| Entreat us tenderly | 6 | ˘/·/˘˘ |
| To ponder little workmanships | 8 | ·/˘/˘/˘· |
| In crayon or in wool, | 6 | ·/···· |
| With "This was last her fingers did," | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Industrious until | 6 | ˘/˘˘·· |
| The thimble weighed too heavy, | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| The stitches stopped themselves, | 6 | ·/˘·˘/ |
| And then 't was put among the dust | 9 | ········· |
| Upon the closet shelves. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| A book I have, a friend gave, | 7 | ······· |
| Whose pencil, here and there, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Had notched the place that pleased him, -- | 7 | ······· |
| At rest his fingers are. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Now, when I read, I read not, | 7 | ······· |
| For interrupting tears | 6 | ··˘/˘· |
| Obliterate the etchings | 7 | ˘/˘··/˘ |
| Too costly for repairs. | 6 | ·/˘·˘/ |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.