Lyric Poem · Peace
'Twas a long Parting—but the time
'Twas a long Parting — but the time
For Interview — had Come —
Before the Judgment Seat of God —
The last — and second time
These Fleshless Lovers met —
A Heaven in a Gaze —
A Heaven of Heavens — the Privilege
Of one another's Eyes —
No Lifetime — on Them —
Appareled as the new
Unborn — except They had beheld —
Born infiniter — now —
Was Bridal — e'er like This?
A Paradise — the Host —
And Cherubim — and Seraphim —
The unobtrusive Guest —
Full-text availability follows the United States display decision recorded below; status can differ elsewhere.
“'Twas a long Parting—but the time” by Emily Dickinson — quilloak.com/poems/twas-a-long-parting-but-the-time
Quick facts
- Poem
- 'Twas a long Parting—but the time
- Poet
- Emily Dickinson
- Length
- 16 lines
- Form
- Lyric Poem
- Themes
- Peace
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 6-8 syllables (median 6), consistent with trimeter. No single length dominates, which is normal once elision and contraction are in play.
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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
- PoetryDB'Twas a long Parting—but the time 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 45e2419735955f53…
- Editorial handling
- Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.
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