Lyric Poem · Peace
I've known a Heaven, like a Tent
I've known a Heaven, like a Tent —
To wrap its shining Yards —
Pluck up its stakes, and disappear —
Without the sound of Boards
Or Rip of Nail — Or Carpenter —
But just the miles of Stare —
That signalize a Show's Retreat —
In North America —
No Trace — no Figment of the Thing
That dazzled, Yesterday,
No Ring — no Marvel —
Men, and Feats —
Dissolved as utterly —
As Bird's far Navigation
Discloses just a Hue —
A plash of Oars, a Gaiety —
Then swallowed up, of View.
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“I've known a Heaven, like a Tent” by Emily Dickinson — quilloak.com/poems/ive-known-a-heaven-like-a-tent
Quick facts
- Poem
- I've known a Heaven, like a Tent
- Poet
- Emily Dickinson
- Length
- 17 lines
- Form
- Lyric Poem
- Themes
- Peace, Nature
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
- 17 lines · 2 stanzas of 8–9 lines
- Line length
- Lines run 5-8 syllables (median 6), consistent with trimeter. No single length dominates, which is normal once elision and contraction are in play.
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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've known a Heaven, like a Tent 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 fcfb08dbb3f3b11d…
- Editorial handling
- Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.
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