Precedence
Wait till the majesty of DeathInvests so mean a brow!Almost a powdered footmanMight dare to touch it now!
Wait till in everlasting robesThis democrat is dressed,Then prate about "preferment"And "station" and the rest!
Around this quiet courtierObsequious angels wait!Full royal is his retinue,Full purple is his state!
A lord might dare to lift the hatTo such a modest clay,Since that my Lord, "the Lord of lords"Receives unblushingly!
Words in this poem
- democrat n.
- One who is an adherent or advocate of democracy, or government by the people. [Cf. F. démocrate.]
- courtier n.
- One who is in attendance at the court of a prince; one who has an appointment at court. [From Court.]
- obsequious a.
- Promptly obedient, or submissive, to the will of another; compliant; yielding to the desires of another; devoted. [L.obsequiosus, fr. obsequium compliance, fr. obsequi, fr. obsequi: cf. F. obséquieux, See Obsequent, and cf. Obsequy.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Precedence 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, Precedence, in Poems (1890–1896), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #12242, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/dickinson-poems/precedence.html, id L03724.
Form and metre
Precedence is 16 lines in 4 stanzas of 4 lines each. The metre is common measure, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 89%). 96% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 6.8 syllables. 3 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 31% 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.
- 1 -A-A death · browA · footman · nowA
- 2 -A-A robes · dressedA · preferment · restA
- 3 -A-A courtier · waitA · retinue · stateA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Wait till the majesty of Death | 7 | ···/˘·· |
| Invests so mean a brow! | 6 | ˘/···· |
| Almost a powdered footman | 7 | /··/˘/˘ |
| Might dare to touch it now! | 6 | ······ |
| Wait till in everlasting robes | 8 | ····˘/˘· |
| This democrat is dressed, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Then prate about "preferment" | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| And "station" and the rest! | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Around this quiet courtier | 7 | ···//˘˘ |
| Obsequious angels wait! | 6 | ˘/˘/˘· |
| Full royal is his retinue, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Full purple is his state! | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| A lord might dare to lift the hat | 8 | ········ |
| To such a modest clay, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Since that my Lord, "the Lord of lords" | 8 | ········ |
| Receives unblushingly! | 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.