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Lyric Poem · Nature

I watched the Moon around the House

by Emily Dickinson

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 —

29The privilege to scrutinize

30Was scarce upon my Eyes

31When, with a Silver practise —

32She vaulted out of Gaze —

33And next — I met her on a Cloud —

34Myself too far below

35To follow her superior Road —

36Or its advantage — Blue —

Full-text availability follows the United States display decision recorded below; status can differ elsewhere.

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.
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
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.
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