The Hemlock
I think the hemlock likes to standUpon a marge of snow;It suits his own austerity,And satisfies an awe
That men must slake in wilderness,Or in the desert cloy, --An instinct for the hoar, the bald,Lapland's necessity.
The hemlock's nature thrives on cold;The gnash of northern windsIs sweetest nutriment to him,His best Norwegian wines.
To satin races he is nought;But children on the DonBeneath his tabernacles play,And Dnieper wrestlers run.
Words in this poem
- marge n.
- Border; margin; edge; verge. [F. marge. See Margin.]
- austerity n.
- Sourness and harshness to the taste. Horsley. [F. austérité, L. austerias, fr. austerus. See Austere.]
- cloy v. t.
- To fill or choke up; to stop up; to clog. [OE. cloer to nail up, F. clouer, fr. OF. clo nail, F. clou, fr. L. clavus nail. Cf. 3d Clove.]
- hoar v. t.
- To become moldy or musty. [AS. harian to grow gray.]
- gnash v. t.
- To strike together, as in anger or pain; as, to gnash the teeth. [OE. gnasten, gnaisten, cf. Icel. gnastan a gnashing, gn to gnash, Dan.knaske, Sw. gnissla, D. knarsen, G. knirschen.]
- norwegian a.
- Of or pertaining to Norway, its inhabitants, or its language. [Cf. Icel. Noregr, Norvegr, Norway. See North, and Way.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Hemlock 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 Hemlock, in Poems (1890–1896), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #12242, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/dickinson-poems/the-hemlock.html, id L03618.
Form and metre
The Hemlock is 16 lines in 4 verse paragraphs. It is unrhymed, as far as the pronouncing dictionary can tell. The metre is common measure, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 91%). 96% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 6.9 syllables. 3 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 25% 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| I think the hemlock likes to stand | 8 | ···/···· |
| Upon a marge of snow; | 6 | ······ |
| It suits his own austerity, | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| And satisfies an awe | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| That men must slake in wilderness, | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| Or in the desert cloy, -- | 6 | ···/˘· |
| An instinct for the hoar, the bald, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Lapland's necessity. | 6 | /·˘/˘˘ |
| The hemlock's nature thrives on cold; | 8 | ·/·/˘··· |
| The gnash of northern winds | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Is sweetest nutriment to him, | 8 | ·/˘/˘˘·· |
| His best Norwegian wines. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| To satin races he is nought; | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| But children on the Don | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Beneath his tabernacles play, | 8 | ···/˘·˘· |
| And Dnieper wrestlers run. | 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.