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Lyric Poem · Death & Loss

Our journey had advanced

by Emily Dickinson

1Our journey had advanced —

2Our feet were almost come

3To that odd Fork in Being's Road —

4Eternity — by Term —

5Our pace took sudden awe —

6Our feet — reluctant — led —

7Before — were Cities — but Between —

8The Forest of the Dead —

9Retreat — was out of Hope —

10Behind — a Sealed Route —

11Eternity's White Flag — Before —

12And God — at every Gate —

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

Quick facts

Poem
Our journey had advanced
Poet
Emily Dickinson
Length
12 lines
Form
Lyric Poem
Themes
Death & Loss, Hope, 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
12 lines · 3 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
PoetryDBOur journey had advanced 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 ff33e2320dd37b5c
Editorial handling
Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.
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