Greetings and a little question about rhythm

[QueenMab]

Well, hello to everyone. I've found this forum while looking for information for an essay in Emily Dickinson, and all I can say is that it's really interesting. I would like to see more and introduce myself when I have more time.

Also I'm finding some difficulties with the rhythm pattern of this poem, I would like to think that it is because I'm not native and don't know how to read it:

I died for beauty--but was scarce (...)

you see, in this line, the use of the dash would make it a tetrameter or it doesn't count and is a trimeter?

I'm thankful if you give me your opinions.

[Aramis]

Tetrameter. Ignore punctuation and just read the words out loud. That means it has four iambs.

[QueenMab]

Thank you, Aramis, it is quite easy once you know it and I can apply that to her other poems too.
Thanks.

[Xamonas Chegwe]

The '--' is in the wrong place for a normal caesura - it's within an iamb, instead of between two iambs as is usual, but I agree with Aramis here. I suppose that it makes the reader stress the 'but', turning 'ty--but' into a true iamb instead of a pyrrhic substitution.

Whatever the whys and wherefors of the metrical structure though, it's certainly tetrameter - di-DUM di-DUM di-DUM di-DUM.

Besides, stressing the 'but' will stop it getting flabby in later life.

[QueenMab]

Thanks Xamonas.

And yes, a stressed but is what keeps the world moving!