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Lyric Poem · Peace

So much of Heaven has gone from Earth

by Emily Dickinson

1So much of Heaven has gone from Earth

2That there must be a Heaven

3If only to enclose the Saints

4To Affidavit given.

5The Missionary to the Mole

6Must prove there is a Sky

7Location doubtless he would plead

8But what excuse have I?

9Too much of Proof affronts Belief

10The Turtle will not try

11Unless you leave him — then return

12And he has hauled away.

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Quick facts

Poem
So much of Heaven has gone from Earth
Poet
Emily Dickinson
Length
12 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
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
Consistent with common metre. Alternating eight- and six-syllable lines — the hymn stanza (8.6.8.6), the most-used quatrain in English verse.
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
PoetryDBSo much of Heaven has gone from Earth 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 81b68e7504411084
Editorial handling
Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.
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