Lyric Poem · Nature
One Life of so much Consequence!
One Life of so much Consequence!
Yet I — for it — would pay —
My Soul's entire income —
In ceaseless — salary —
One Pearl — to me — so signal —
That I would instant dive —
Although — I knew — to take it —
Would cost me — just a life!
The Sea is full — I know it!
That — does not blur my Gem!
It burns — distinct from all the row —
Intact — in Diadem!
The life is thick — I know it!
Yet — not so dense a crowd —
But Monarchs — are perceptible —
Far down the dustiest Road!
Full-text availability follows the United States display decision recorded below; status can differ elsewhere.
“One Life of so much Consequence!” by Emily Dickinson — quilloak.com/poems/one-life-of-so-much-consequence
Quick facts
- Poem
- One Life of so much Consequence!
- Poet
- Emily Dickinson
- Length
- 16 lines
- Form
- Lyric Poem
- Themes
- Nature, Peace
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 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
- PoetryDBOne Life of so much Consequence! 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 eff2e45f97f477ad…
- Editorial handling
- Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.
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