Lyric Poem · Peace

Through those old Grounds of memory

by Emily Dickinson

Reading room

1Through those old Grounds of memory,

2The sauntering alone

3Is a divine intemperance

4A prudent man would shun.

5Of liquors that are vended

6'Tis easy to beware

7But statutes do not meddle

8With the internal bar.

9Pernicious as the sunset

10Permitting to pursue

11But impotent to gather,

12The tranquil perfidy

13Alloys our firmer moments

14With that severest gold

15Convenient to the longing

16But otherwise withheld.

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“Through those old Grounds of memory” by Emily Dickinson — quilloak.com/poems/through-those-old-grounds-of-memory

Quick facts

Poem: Through those old Grounds of memory
Poet: Emily Dickinson
Length: 16 lines
Form: Lyric Poem
Themes: Peace

Craft notes

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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 · one 16-line stanza
Line length: Lines run 6-8 syllables (median 6), consistent with trimeter. No single length dominates, which is normal once elision and contraction are in play.

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Author record: Emily Dickinson1830–1886
Source record: PoetryDBThrough those old Grounds of memory 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 998b7982363ace17…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

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Lyric Poem Peace

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