Lyric Poem · Nature

The Moon was but a Chin of Gold

by Emily Dickinson

A Night or two ago —

And now she turns Her perfect Face

Upon the World below —

Her Forehead is of Amplest Blonde —

Her Cheek — a Beryl hewn —

Her Eye unto the Summer Dew

The likest I have known —

Her Lips of Amber never part —

But what must be the smile

Upon Her Friend she could confer

Were such Her Silver Will —

And what a privilege to be

But the remotest Star —

For Certainty She take Her Way

Beside Your Palace Door —

Her Bonnet is the Firmament —

The Universe — Her Shoe —

The Stars — the Trinkets at Her Belt —

Her Dimities — of Blue —

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

“The Moon was but a Chin of Gold” by Emily Dickinson — quilloak.com/poems/the-moon-was-but-a-chin-of-gold

Quick facts

Poem: The Moon was but a Chin of Gold
Poet: Emily Dickinson
Length: 20 lines
Form: Lyric Poem
Themes: Nature, Summer, Friendship

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: 20 lines · 5 quatrains
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: PoetryDBThe Moon was but a Chin of Gold 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 0a4d1c5cf3086848…
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 Friendship

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 →