Poem-A-Day/April 8
(Johnson 470)
I am ashamed — I hide —
What right have I — to be a Bride —
So late a Dowerless Girl —
Nowhere to hide my dazzled Face —
No one to teach me that new Grace —
Nor introduce — my Soul —
Me to adorn — How — tell —
Trinket — to make Me beautiful —
Fabrics of Cashmere —
Never a Gown of Dun — more —
Raiment instead — of Pompadour —
For Me — My soul — to wear —
Fingers — to frame my Round Hair
Oval — as Feudal Ladies wore —
Far Fashions — Fair —
Skill to hold my Brow like an Earl —
Plead — like a Whippoorwill —
Prove — like a Pearl —
Then, for Character —
Fashion My Spirit quaint — white —
Quick — like a Liquor —
Gay — like Light —
Bring Me my best Pride —
No more ashamed —
No more to hide —
Meek — let it be — too proud — for Pride —
Baptized — this Day — a Bride —
**
This doesn't strike me as one of DIckinson's greatest poems, but it is very fascinating. As in "Title divine--is Mine" we have a kind of wedding, or the lead-up to one, from courtship (the image of a flirting lover hiding her "dazzled face"--probably in her fiance's shoulder, or in the bosom of a close female friend as the two discuss Dickinson's upcoming nuptials), to spiritual instruction (a bride would have had bible study) or a formal, society "introduction" or ball.
"Me--to adorn--how--tell"--what kind of "adornment" is appropriate for a marriage between a person and their soul, or imagination, or gift? What kind of "character" or "spirit" should a bride who marries herself show? The final gesture, "bring me my best pride" sounds (to me) like the sort of thing a bride might ask of a maid of honour, perhaps right before the ceremony.
(Johnson 470)
I am ashamed — I hide —
What right have I — to be a Bride —
So late a Dowerless Girl —
Nowhere to hide my dazzled Face —
No one to teach me that new Grace —
Nor introduce — my Soul —
Me to adorn — How — tell —
Trinket — to make Me beautiful —
Fabrics of Cashmere —
Never a Gown of Dun — more —
Raiment instead — of Pompadour —
For Me — My soul — to wear —
Fingers — to frame my Round Hair
Oval — as Feudal Ladies wore —
Far Fashions — Fair —
Skill to hold my Brow like an Earl —
Plead — like a Whippoorwill —
Prove — like a Pearl —
Then, for Character —
Fashion My Spirit quaint — white —
Quick — like a Liquor —
Gay — like Light —
Bring Me my best Pride —
No more ashamed —
No more to hide —
Meek — let it be — too proud — for Pride —
Baptized — this Day — a Bride —
**
This doesn't strike me as one of DIckinson's greatest poems, but it is very fascinating. As in "Title divine--is Mine" we have a kind of wedding, or the lead-up to one, from courtship (the image of a flirting lover hiding her "dazzled face"--probably in her fiance's shoulder, or in the bosom of a close female friend as the two discuss Dickinson's upcoming nuptials), to spiritual instruction (a bride would have had bible study) or a formal, society "introduction" or ball.
"Me--to adorn--how--tell"--what kind of "adornment" is appropriate for a marriage between a person and their soul, or imagination, or gift? What kind of "character" or "spirit" should a bride who marries herself show? The final gesture, "bring me my best pride" sounds (to me) like the sort of thing a bride might ask of a maid of honour, perhaps right before the ceremony.
This may be far from E.D.'s best poem, but it does a whopping good job at capturing the pure frenzy of preparing for a big social event--I can imagine Emily getting ready for a ball in her youth and feeling this kind of chaotic emotion. "Me to adorn — How — tell —/Trinket — to make Me beautiful—" reads like fragments of separate whirling thoughts, so noticing on a second read-through how they fit together adds another layer of meaning.
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued by the emphasis on soul here, as separate from the body. In "For Me — My soul — to wear —" she emphasizes soul as a qualifier; it's important that the reader understand what she is looking for. Perhaps she can find a dress or trinket that fits her body, but her soul? That seems like a quintessential Emily Dickinson question: she can look the part of a young socialite/dutiful housewife/old maid--but can she BE one?
She can be all kinds of things--a feudal lady, an earl, a whippoorwill, a pearl, liquor, light, and of course a bride--what of herself? I can only imagine that this was a crucial question for E.D. in her late teens and early twenties when she was expected to marry, but seems to be decided by the time she begins writing in earnest (perhaps BY her writing in earnest).
And thats not even touching on "meek"/"proud" and "Baptized"!