The Contract
I gave myself to him,And took himself for pay.The solemn contract of a lifeWas ratified this way.
The wealth might disappoint,Myself a poorer proveThan this great purchaser suspect,The daily own of Love
Depreciate the vision;But, till the merchant buy,Still fable, in the isles of spice,The subtle cargoes lie.
At least, 't is mutual risk, --Some found it mutual gain;Sweet debt of Life, -- each night to owe,Insolvent, every noon.
Words in this poem
- wealth n.
- Weal; welfare; prosperity; good. [OE. welthe, from wele; cf. D. weelde luxury. See Weal prosperity.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Contract 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, The Contract, in Poems (1890–1896), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #12242, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/dickinson-poems/the-contract.html, id L03667.
Form and metre
The Contract is 16 lines in 4 stanzas of 4 lines each. The metre is short measure, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 91%). 100% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 6.6 syllables. 1 line ends on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 19% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in short 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 him · payA · life · wayA
- 2 -A-A disappoint · proveA · suspect · loveA
- 3 -A-A vision · buyA · spice · lieA
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 short measure. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| I gave myself to him, | 6 | ···/·· |
| And took himself for pay. | 6 | ··˘/·· |
| The solemn contract of a life | 8 | ·/˘/···· |
| Was ratified this way. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| The wealth might disappoint, | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Myself a poorer prove | 6 | ·/·/˘· |
| Than this great purchaser suspect, | 7 | ···/˘/· |
| The daily own of Love | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Depreciate the vision; | 7 | ˘/˘··/˘ |
| But, till the merchant buy, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Still fable, in the isles of spice, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| The subtle cargoes lie. | 6 | ·/˘/·· |
| At least, 't is mutual risk, -- | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Some found it mutual gain; | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Sweet debt of Life, -- each night to owe, | 8 | ········ |
| Insolvent, every noon. | 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.