7- He fumbles at your spirit (a)
                                        6- As players at the keys (b)
                                        8- Before they drop full music on; (c)
                                        6- He stuns you by degrees, (b)

                                        7- Prepares your brittle substance (d)
                                        6- For the ethereal blow, (e)
                                        8- By fainter hammers, further heard, (f)
                                        6- Then nearer, then so slow (e)

                                        7- Your breath has time to straighten, (g)
                                        6- Your brain to bubble cool, -- (h)
                                        8- Deals one imperial thunderbolt (i)
                                        6- That scalps your naked soul. (h)

Scansion:  The rhythm of this poem is very smooth and fluent as the number of syllables in each line of the first stanza matches the number of syllables in the other two stanzas of this poem.  The syllable pattern for each four-line stanza is 7, 6, 8, 6.

Rhyme scheme: abca, defe, ghih

Formal features:

• metaphor - Dickinson compares love to a piano player.  Whomever she is talking about catches her attention and fascinates her just as a piano player captivates his/her audience.

• tone - This poem is quite romantic, yet tragic and sad.  The author is at first very excited about this new love interest, but then realizes that she must prepare for disappointment if it does not work out.

• rhythm - The rhythm of this poem flows very well from one line to the next and from stanza to stanza.  This fluency helps bring about the romantic yet tragic effect of the poem.  It also helps the poem keep moving as one reads it,  and aids the author in creating coherent stanzas that link to one another.