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Lyric Poem · Nature

Besides the Autumn poets sing

by Emily Dickinson

1Besides the Autumn poets sing

2A few prosaic days

3A little this side of the snow

4And that side of the Haze —

5A few incisive Mornings —

6A few Ascetic Eves —

7Gone — Mr. Bryant's "Golden Rod" —

8And Mr. Thomson's "sheaves."

9Still, is the bustle in the Brook —

10Sealed are the spicy valves —

11Mesmeric fingers softly touch

12The Eyes of many Elves —

13Perhaps a squirrel may remain —

14My sentiments to share —

15Grant me, Oh Lord, a sunny mind —

16Thy windy will to bear!

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Quick facts

Poem
Besides the Autumn poets sing
Poet
Emily Dickinson
Length
16 lines
Form
Lyric Poem
Themes
Nature, Autumn, Winter

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
16 lines · 4 quatrains
Line length
Lines run 6-8 syllables (median 7). No single length dominates, which is normal once elision and contraction are in play.
The poem’s silhouette — approximate syllables per line, measured from the text above. Even bars mean a measured line; ragged bars mean the poem sets its own widths.

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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
PoetryDBBesides the Autumn poets sing 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 9fc62d846fde9431
Editorial handling
Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.
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