Lyric Poem · Life

A happy lip—breaks sudden

by Emily Dickinson

A happy lip — breaks sudden —

It doesn't state you how

It contemplated — smiling —

Just consummated — now —

But this one, wears its merriment

So patient — like a pain —

Fresh gilded — to elude the eyes

Unqualified, to scan —

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“A happy lip—breaks sudden” by Emily Dickinson — quilloak.com/poems/a-happy-lip-breaks-sudden

Quick facts

Poem: A happy lip—breaks sudden
Poet: Emily Dickinson
Length: 8 lines
Form: Lyric Poem, Short Poems
Themes: Life, Short

Craft notes

How this poem works

Measured from the text on this page, not copied from a summary. Counts are approximate: syllables and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, which models General American English, so dialect, older pronunciation, and performance can all change what you hear.

Shape: 8 lines · one 8-line stanza
Line length: Lines run 5-8 syllables (median 6), consistent with trimeter. No single length dominates, which is normal once elision and contraction are in play.

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Text, source & rights

A traceable edition

Full-text display is based on the committed source record and a United States term-expiry review.

Author record: Emily Dickinson1830–1886
Source record: PoetryDBA happy lip—breaks sudden by emily-dickinson, PoetryDB transcription
Display decision: Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
Publication record: Not recorded in the imported source
Text fingerprint: SHA-256 e6e78fa763651363…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

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Lyric Poem Short Poems Life Short

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