A solemn thing- it was- I said-
A woman- white- to be-
And wear- if God should count me fit-
Her blameless mystery-
A hallowed thing- to drop a life-
Into the purple well-
Too plummetless- that it return-
Eternity- until-
I pondered how the bliss would look-
And would it feel as big-
When I could take it in my hand-
As hovering-seen through fog-
And then- the size of this "small" life-
The Sages- call it small-
Swelled- like Horizons- in my vest-
And I sneered- softly- "small"!
This peom, like many of Emily Dickinson's, is not to be read on one level. Is it to do with marriage? Highly likely. Religion? Most probably. Death? Again, yes. Each line can be read to prove each theme and this makes Emily Dickinson special. You can read a poem and it mean one thing one time, but the other time it would mean the other thing to you- it is a poem for different moods and since I seem to be on a religious rant at the moment follow this poem along the theme of religion.
By the way I think death is probably the primary interpretation, but argue with me on that as you will. I do! "If God should count me fit" is a definite link to Emily's issue with Calvinism. It was very much at the forefront of her religious insecurity. Calvinist believe that one is predetermined to go to heaven before they are born and no matter what they do on earth can really make much difference. We are inherently good/bad from birth. Emily is very insecure about her own death and whether she would get into heaven. Another link to Emily's thoughts and how this poem represents her life and feelings is that "a woman- white- to be-" refers to Emily being dressed in white all the time when she withdrew from society and become a recluse.
"Hallowed" and "Eternity" all hint at a religious connotation. "Purple" is an ecclesiastical and royal colour. "Plummetless" and "Eternity" make death seem a scary, long drawn out thing. "I pondered how bliss would look" shows that Emily is wondering what heaven looks like. "Seen-through fog-" refers to St. Peter's belief of the 'mist of life' (or something- my bible studies are rusty). "It" to me (in the last stanza) is her life. To her, life is not small. It is everything. The Sages- possibly the saints, angels, God, etc- it is just a small life, but from a personal point of view it is everything.
So, am I right or wrong? I don't know. Perhaps when I meet Emily "in the fair schoolroom of the sky" I will ask what she meant!
(I shall know why- when Time is over-
And I have ceased to wonder why-
Christ will explain each separate anguish
In the fair schoolroom of the sky-
He will tell me what "peter" promised-
And I- for wonder at his woe-
I shall forget the drop of Anguish
That scalds me now- that scalds me now!)
For other poetry on women in marriage and also marriage blurred with religious service as a nun (possibly) see here.
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3 comments:
NSS - I read the part about her "small" life as being something that, though insignificant here, was large to God, and in her sneer she was on God's side. The white and the purple are ecclesiastical colours, as you say. I like your very last point. I get a feeling that, as the young nun about to take her vows sees herself as Christ's bride, she shares some of the same feeling. You quote a poem earlier from Anne Bronte. I sense something of the same urgent need for faith, but a faith shot through with uncertainty and doubt. Was Dickinson affected by the bereavement of close friends/family? You see Charlotte Bronte desperately clinging to her faith after Emily's death - Dickinsons seems to have something of Emily's intenseness.
OF
Aha, I suppose "small" could be the other way round indeed. Confusing stuff. Aha also, yes, Emily Dickinson did suffer from some bereavements. The
Emily was affected when friends of the family were killed during the Civil War. This inevitably heightened her interest and fear of death, which is shown in her poetry and also in the number of poems she produced at ths time (even if she had locked herself away and become a recluse). The early 1870s also saw her mother become very ill and in 1874 her father died and this was when Emily really ceased to stop venturing out of her home. In 1878 her friend Samuel Bowles died and another of her friends, Charles Wadsworth, died in 1882, and in the same year her mother succumbed to her illness. A year later her brother Austin’s son Gilbert died. So there were a lot of deaths.
Yes, both Anne and Emily do have a similar insecurity in their poems regarding faith. It is interesting to see the effects of bereavement. It is very striking.
Hello. I was wondering what your name was. I would like to use some of the ideas you used in this post as part of an English paper on Emily Dickinson. Of course, I wish to give you proper credit. Thank you. If you wish to keep your name private, please email me at dylan2sabrina@gmail.com to further discuss things!
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