Month: January 2025

A Night — there lay the Days between —
The Day that was Before —
And Day that was Behind — were One —
And now — ’twas Night — was here —

Slow — Night — that must be watched away —
As Grains upon a shore —
Too imperceptible to note —
Till it be night — no more —

 

An interpretation of F609:

For ED, the first “Day” of this poem began in March 1855, when she heard Wadsworth preach in Philadelphia. That day ended for her on May 1, 1862 when Wadsworth “abandoned” her by sailing from New York, bound for San Francisco. She thought he had left her for the rest of her life. She hoped the “Night” between his “abandonment” and her death would end their separation and that Wadsworth would meet and marry her in Heaven, as he promised. The second “Day” of the poem presumably would begin when she died (May 15, 1886) and last for eternity.

When ED composed this poem in 1863, the looming real days between May 1, 1862 and her death (8780 days) would feel like “Grains [of sand] upon a shore”, too numerous to count. But then, like Dante, she would emerge from her dark “Night” of abandonment into the bright “Day” of Heaven.

Of course, Dante and Virgil emerged from Hell at night and “looked up at the stars”. ED would emerge from her long “Night” of abandonment into Heaven’s eternal “Day”. Also, when she wrote this poem in 1863, she did not know when Wadsworth or she would die, but he had promised to meet and marry her on the day the last one died.

In her vivid imagination, the two “Days” in the poem merged to become “One” (Line 3).

So glad we are — a stranger’d deem
‘Twas sorry – that we were —
For where the Holiday – should be –
There publishes – a Tear —

Nor how Ourselves be justified —
Since Grief and Joy are done
So similar — An Optizan
Could not decide between —

Neither ED’s Webster nor OED recognize “optizan” as a word. OED recognizes “shazam” (1940, A ‘magic’ word used like ‘abracadabra’ or ‘presto’ to introduce an extraordinary deed or story), so why not “optizam”? Google defines “optizam” with a verbatim quote of BYU’s ED Lexicon, but ED Lex disclaims any responsibility for its definition:

Optizan, n. [etymology unknown; definition not attested.] (figurative): “seer; visionary; scientist; wise man; person of discernment”

The word works wonderfully, don’t you think? An ED original or slang she picked up from her lawyer brother or father? Nowadays, “optizan” is a lost pearl in the trash heap of English woulda, coulda, shouldabeens.

 

An interpretation of F608:

So glad I am, a stranger would deem, from my outer demeaner, but in my heart I cried because it’s Holiday, and the one I love is not here.

No one can see my real feelings, since tears of grief and tears of joy cannot be distinguished. Even Solomon cannot tell the difference.

I think the longest Hour of all
Is when the Cars have come —
And we are waiting for the Coach —
It seems as though the Time

Indignant — that the Joy was come —
Did block the Gilded Hands —
And would not let the Seconds by —
But slowest instant — ends —

The Pendulum begins to count —
Like little Scholars — loud —
The steps grow thicker — in the Hall —
The Heart begins to crowd —

Then I — my timid service done —
Tho’ service ’twas, of Love —
Take up my little Violin —
And further North — remove –

 

ED used the word:

“North” in 14 Poems,
“East” in 30 poems,
“South” in 16 poems,
“West” in 27 poems,

and sometimes she used two or more of these in one poem.

 

During 1850-1853, ED’s father led a small group of investors who built the Amherst and Belchertown Railroad, connecting Amherst with the American rail system. No doubt he was the one who encouraged locating the passenger station on Main Street, 200 yards east of Homestead. Perhaps Time did “block the Gilded Hands” of the clock, but not for very long. With no luggage, visitors could easily walk to Homestead in 10 minutes.

Despite ED’s impatience with Time, when she heard steps “in the Hall” she “timidly” bid hello, felt crowded in her “Heart”, and vanished to her room to play her “little violin”, that is, to compose poetry. ED often referred to composing poems as “singing”, but she used the “violin” metaphor twice, here in F607 and 20 years later in F1627 (1883), ‘The Spirit lasts — but in what mode’.

606.1863.Except the smaller size

Except the smaller size
No lives are round —
These — hurry to a sphere
And show and end —
The larger — slower grow
And later hang —
The Summers of Hesperides
Are long.

Our neighbor has an incredibly productive yellow-apple tree that holds its apples until first frost. She lets us pick and we’ve noticed that apples on inner branches are smaller than those farther out. These small apples stay roundish and lack rich sweetness of larger, outer-hanging, late-season apples. ED would probably know this from her family’s orchard.

Perhaps Lines 7-8, “The Summers of Hesperides / are long”, acknowledge that exceptional poems bake longer in ED’s white-hot subconscious.

 

There are three variants of F606, dating from about 1863 and 1866.

Variant A (summer 1863, Fascicle 26, Alternate words in parentheses):

Except the smaller size –
No Lives – are Round –
These hurry to a Sphere –
And show and end –

The Larger – slower grow –
And later – hang –
The Summers of (in) Hesperides
Are long-

Hugest (The Huge) of Core
Present the awkward Rind –
Yield Groups of Ones –
No Cluster – ye (you) shall find –

But far after Frost –
And Indian Summer Noon – (Sun –)
Ships – offer These –
As West – Indian –

Variant B (The first two stanzas of Variant A, signed “Emily,” were sent to Susan Dickinson about the second half of 1863.

Variant C (A later fair copy, substantively identical to Variant B, though without stanza division, was incorporated in 1866 into a letter to T. W. Higginson postmarked 17 March 1886 (L484):

“If I still entreat you to teach me, Are you much displeased? I will be patient – constant, never reject your knife and should my slowness goad you, you knew before myself that”:

Except the smaller size
No lives are round –
These – hurry to a sphere
And show and end –
The larger – slower grow
And later hang –
The Summers of Hesperides
Are long.

ED incorporated this one-stanza octave, Variant C, into Letter 484 to T. W. Higginson, postmarked 17 March 1886.

 

An interpretation of F606:

Except for ordinary poets, no poets’ lives are smooth (L1-2).
Ordinary poets quickly become predictable and showy and temporary (L3-4).
Great poets grow slower and deeper, and their poems become immortal (L5-6).
Their fame is eternal (L7-8).