Lyric Poem · Death & Loss

Our journey had advanced

by Emily Dickinson

Our journey had advanced —

Our feet were almost come

To that odd Fork in Being's Road —

Eternity — by Term —

Our pace took sudden awe —

Our feet — reluctant — led —

Before — were Cities — but Between —

The Forest of the Dead —

Retreat — was out of Hope —

Behind — a Sealed Route —

Eternity's White Flag — Before —

And God — at every Gate —

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

“Our journey had advanced” by Emily Dickinson — quilloak.com/poems/our-journey-had-advanced

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.

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: 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.

Jurisdiction-specific, never a worldwide claimRights policy Report a text or rights issue

Lyric Poem Death & Loss Hope Peace

Keep reading

Annabel Lee

Edgar Allan Poe · 1849

It was many and many a year ago,In a kingdom by the sea,That a maiden there lived whom you may know

41 lines · ballad

Remember

Christina Rossetti · 1862

Remember me when I am gone away,Gone far away into the silent land;When you can no more hold me by the hand,

14 lines · sonnet

When I Am Dead, My Dearest (Song)

Christina Rossetti · 1862

When I am dead, my dearest,Sing no sad songs for me;Plant thou no roses at my head,

16 lines · lyric

More poems about death →