Not any higher stands the grave
Not any higher stands the graveFor heroes than for men;Not any nearer for the childThan numb three-score and ten.
This latest leisure equal lullsThe beggar and his queen;Propitiate this democratBy summer's gracious mien.
Words in this poem
- propitiate v. t.
- To appease to render favorable; to make propitious; to conciliate. [L. propitiatus, p. p. of propitiare to propitiate, fr. propitius favorable. See Propitious.]
- democrat n.
- One who is an adherent or advocate of democracy, or government by the people. [Cf. F. démocrate.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Not any higher stands the grave 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, Not any higher stands the grave, in Poems (1890–1896), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #12242, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/dickinson-poems/not-any-higher-stands-the-grave.html, id L19051.
Form and metre
Not any higher stands the grave is 8 lines in 2 stanzas of 4 lines each. The metre is common measure, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 94%).
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.
- 1 -A-A grave · menA · child · tenA
- 2 -A-A lulls · queenA · democrat · mienA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Not any higher stands the grave | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| For heroes than for men; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Not any nearer for the child | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| Than numb three-score and ten. | 6 | ······ |
| This latest leisure equal lulls | 8 | ·/˘/˘/˘· |
| The beggar and his queen; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Propitiate this democrat | 8 | ˘/˘˘·/˘· |
| By summer's gracious mien. | 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.