Lyric Poem · Nature

Ourselves were wed one summer—dear

by Emily Dickinson

Ourselves were wed one summer — dear —

Your Vision — was in June —

And when Your little Lifetime failed,

I wearied — too — of mine —

And overtaken in the Dark —

Where You had put me down —

By Some one carrying a Light —

I — too — received the Sign.

'Tis true — Our Futures different lay —

Your Cottage — faced the sun —

While Oceans — and the North must be —

On every side of mine

'Tis true, Your Garden led the Bloom,

For mine — in Frosts — was sown —

And yet, one Summer, we were Queens —

But You — were crowned in June —

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

“Ourselves were wed one summer—dear” by Emily Dickinson — quilloak.com/poems/ourselves-were-wed-one-summer-dear

Quick facts

Poem: Ourselves were wed one summer—dear
Poet: Emily Dickinson
Length: 16 lines
Form: Lyric Poem
Themes: Nature, Summer

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 6-9 syllables (median 8), consistent with tetrameter. 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: PoetryDBOurselves were wed one summer—dear 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 d830c52f0e0ad391…
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 Nature Summer

Keep reading

Bright Star

John Keats · 1819

Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art—Not in lone splendour hung aloft the nightAnd watching, with eternal lids apart,

14 lines · sonnet

The Passionate Shepherd to His Love

Christopher Marlowe · 1599

Come live with me and be my love,And we will all the pleasures prove,That valleys, groves, hills, and fields,

24 lines · lyric

The Old Pond (haiku)

Matsuo Bashō · 1686

an old pond, still —a frog leaps into water:the sound of the splash

3 lines · haiku

More nature poems →