Lyric Poem · Nature

"Arcturus" is his other name

by Emily Dickinson

"Arcturus" is his other name —

I'd rather call him "Star."

It's very mean of Science

To go and interfere!

I slew a worm the other day —

A "Savant" passing by

Murmured "Resurgam" — "Centipede"!

"Oh Lord — how frail are we"!

I pull a flower from the woods —

A monster with a glass

Computes the stamens in a breath —

And has her in a "class"!

Whereas I took the Butterfly

Aforetime in my hat —

He sits erect in "Cabinets" —

The Clover bells forgot.

What once was "Heaven"

Is "Zenith" now —

Where I proposed to go

When Time's brief masquerade was done

Is mapped and charted too.

What if the poles should frisk about

And stand upon their heads!

I hope I'm ready for "the worst" —

Whatever prank betides!

Perhaps the "Kingdom of Heaven's" changed —

I hope the "Children" there Won't be "new fashioned" when I come —

And laugh at me — and stare —

I hope the Father in the skies

Will lift his little girl —

Old fashioned — naught — everything —

Over the stile of "Pearl."

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“"Arcturus" is his other name” by Emily Dickinson — quilloak.com/poems/arcturus-is-his-other-name

Quick facts

Poem: "Arcturus" is his other name
Poet: Emily Dickinson
Length: 32 lines
Form: Lyric Poem
Themes: Nature, Hope, Peace

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: 32 lines · 8 stanzas of 3–5 lines
End rhyme: No regular perfect end rhyme. The poem may still be using slant rhyme, assonance, or internal echo, which this check does not score.
Line length: Lines run 6-8 syllables (median 7). No single length dominates, which is normal once elision and contraction are in play.

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

Author record: Emily Dickinson1830–1886
Source record: PoetryDB"Arcturus" is his other name 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 2737b4d779c3c249…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

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Lyric Poem Nature Hope Peace

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