Vanished
She died, -- this was the way she died;And when her breath was done,Took up her simple wardrobeAnd started for the sun.
Her little figure at the gateThe angels must have spied,Since I could never find herUpon the mortal side.
Words in this poem
- wardrobe n.
- A room or apartment where clothes are kept, or wearing apparel is stored; a portable closet for hanging up clothes. [OE. warderobe, OF. warderobe, F. garderobe; of German origin. See Ward, v. t., and Robe.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Vanished 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, Vanished, in Poems (1890–1896), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #12242, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/dickinson-poems/vanished.html, id L03723.
Form and metre
Vanished 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%). 100% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 6.6 syllables. 38% 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 died · doneA · wardrobe · sunA
- 2 -A-A gate · spiedA · her · sideA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| She died, -- this was the way she died; | 8 | ········ |
| And when her breath was done, | 6 | ······ |
| Took up her simple wardrobe | 7 | ···/˘/· |
| And started for the sun. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Her little figure at the gate | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| The angels must have spied, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Since I could never find her | 6 | ···/·· |
| Upon the mortal side. | 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.