How does Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death” use ballad meter?

Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I could not stop for Death” utilizes ballad meter by employing a structure of quatrains—stanzas consisting of four lines each—in which the lines alternate between four and three stresses.1

While traditional ballads are defined as narrative poems or songs that recount dramatic events, Dickinson’s work is classified as lyric poetry because it focuses on expressing intense personal emotions and thoughts rather than telling a story. Despite this difference in narrative intent, she frequently adopted the rhythmic pattern common to the ballad form, which is characterized by this specific alternating metrical structure. This choice of meter, often associated with hymns, reflects her broader tendency to work within established verse forms while maintaining a bold, original, and often experimental style.12