Lyric Poem · Nature

The Moon is distant from the Sea

by Emily Dickinson

The Moon is distant from the Sea —

And yet, with Amber Hands —

She leads Him — docile as a Boy —

Along appointed Sands —

He never misses a Degree —

Obedient to Her Eye

He comes just so far — toward the Town —

Just so far — goes away —

Oh, Signor, Thine, the Amber Hand —

And mine — the distant Sea —

Obedient to the least command

Thine eye impose on me —

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“The Moon is distant from the Sea” by Emily Dickinson — quilloak.com/poems/the-moon-is-distant-from-the-sea

Quick facts

Poem: The Moon is distant from the Sea
Poet: Emily Dickinson
Length: 12 lines
Form: Lyric Poem
Themes: 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
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.

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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: PoetryDBThe Moon is distant from the Sea 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 0851b0d131e9b299…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

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Lyric Poem Nature

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