Sleep is supposed to be



Sleep is supposed to be
By souls of sanity
The shutting of the eye.

Sleep is the station grand
Down which, on either hand
The hosts of witness stand!

Morn is supposed to be
By people of degree
The breaking of the Day.

Morning has not occurred!

That shall Aurora be—
East of Eternity—
One with the banner gay—
One in the red array—
That is the break of Day!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 23, 2023

21 sec read
515

Quick analysis:

Scheme AAX BBB AAC X AACCC
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 358
Words 72
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 3, 3, 3, 1, 5

Emily Dickinson

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. more…

All Emily Dickinson poems | Emily Dickinson Books

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    "Sleep is supposed to be" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 12 Mar. 2025. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/12093/sleep-is-supposed-to-be>.

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