Lyric Poem · Life

Growth of Man—like Growth of Nature

by Emily Dickinson

Growth of Man — like Growth of Nature —

Gravitates within —

Atmosphere, and Sun endorse it —

Bit it stir — alone —

Each — its difficult Ideal

Must achieve — Itself —

Through the solitary prowess

Of a Silent Life —

Effort — is the sole condition —

Patience of Itself —

Patience of opposing forces —

And intact Belief —

Looking on — is the Department

Of its Audience —

But Transaction — is assisted

By no Countenance —

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“Growth of Man—like Growth of Nature” by Emily Dickinson — quilloak.com/poems/growth-of-man-like-growth-of-nature

Quick facts

Poem: Growth of Man—like Growth of Nature
Poet: Emily Dickinson
Length: 16 lines
Form: Lyric Poem
Themes: Life

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
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 5-8 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: PoetryDBGrowth of Man—like Growth of Nature 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 69de4c70f130c489…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

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Lyric Poem Life

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