Lyric Poem · Nature
I watched the Moon around the House
1I watched the Moon around the House
2Until upon a Pane —
3She stopped — a Traveller's privilege — for Rest —
4And there upon
5I gazed — as at a stranger —
6The Lady in the Town
7Doth think no incivility
8To lift her Glass — upon —
9But never Stranger justified
10The Curiosity
11Like Mine — for not a Foot — nor Hand —
12Nor Formula — had she —
13But like a Head — a Guillotine
14Slid carelessly away —
15Did independent, Amber —
16Sustain her in the sky —
17Or like a Stemless Flower —
18Upheld in rolling Air
19By finer Gravitations —
20Than bind Philosopher —
21No Hunger — had she — nor an Inn —
22Her Toilette — to suffice —
23Nor Avocation — nor Concern
24For little Mysteries
25As harass us — like Life — and Death —
26And Afterwards — or Nay —
27But seemed engrossed to Absolute —
28With shining — and the Sky —
Full-text availability follows the United States display decision recorded below; status can differ elsewhere.
“I watched the Moon around the House” by Emily Dickinson — quilloak.com/poems/i-watched-the-moon-around-the-house
Quick facts
- Poem
- I watched the Moon around the House
- Poet
- Emily Dickinson
- Length
- 36 lines
- Form
- Lyric Poem
- Themes
- Nature, Death & Loss
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
- 36 lines · 9 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 6-8 syllables (median 7). No single length dominates, which is normal once elision and contraction are in play.
Want the rules this form is measured against? Read what makes a lyric poem, or run your own draft through the form checker to see the same measurements on your lines. How we measure · Report a mistake
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
- PoetryDBI watched the Moon around the House 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 12522dd7081e2eb2…
- Editorial handling
- Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.