Poem-A-Day/April 9
(Johnson 732)
She rose to His Requirement — dropt
The Playthings of Her Life
To take the honorable Work
Of Woman, and of Wife —
If ought She missed in Her new Day,
Of Amplitude, or Awe —
Or first Prospective — Or the Gold
In using, wear away,
It lay unmentioned — as the Sea
Develop Pearl, and Weed,
But only to Himself — be known
The Fathoms they abide —
**
An unusual poem! A little narrative in the past tense about a woman who "rose" to the "requirement" of being a wife--fish, by the way, "rise" to take the fisherman's bait--only to drown in her own "unmentioned" depths. What's tricky is the "himself" in stanza 3. That refers (I think) to the Sea, who nurtures life w/in his own depths akin to the psychic life underneath the apparently placid surface of the wife's acquiescence...
(Johnson 732)
She rose to His Requirement — dropt
The Playthings of Her Life
To take the honorable Work
Of Woman, and of Wife —
If ought She missed in Her new Day,
Of Amplitude, or Awe —
Or first Prospective — Or the Gold
In using, wear away,
It lay unmentioned — as the Sea
Develop Pearl, and Weed,
But only to Himself — be known
The Fathoms they abide —
**
An unusual poem! A little narrative in the past tense about a woman who "rose" to the "requirement" of being a wife--fish, by the way, "rise" to take the fisherman's bait--only to drown in her own "unmentioned" depths. What's tricky is the "himself" in stanza 3. That refers (I think) to the Sea, who nurtures life w/in his own depths akin to the psychic life underneath the apparently placid surface of the wife's acquiescence...
I admire Dickinson's clever rhythm and word choices here. For example, in the first line, the word 'dropt' interrupts the common meter. The dash and the opposing movements of 'rose' and 'dropt' further stress the word and the association between 'rising to His requirement' and 'dropt The Playthings of his life'. Then Dickinson positions dropping the 'playthings of her life' a prerequisite 'In taking the 'honorable Work / Of Woman, and of Wife '. Dickinson's proposition to the reader is clear: becoming a wife necessitates a renunciation of certain "playthings" and passions in a women's life.
ReplyDeleteI find it curious how the poem leaves little room for negotiation -- the nurturing and pursuit of a rich psychic life and taking on the duties of wifehood (serving a husband) aren't compatible under the terms of this poem. I wonder whether married women feel alienated when reading this poem. They might not easily accept Dickinson's terms.
At the same time, when considering Dickinson herself, it's arguable that Dickinson wouldn't have been as happy or as prolific a poet had she had chosen to marry and live a conventionally social life. We know that Dickinson didn't put much stock in serving others and marrying. And she was criticized for it. She made the unusual choice to self-isolate (in a time when it wasn't mandated by the government) to free herself to pursue what she felt was her life's great project-- poetry.
Building off of Emily's comment a bit, I want to return to the first stanza, specifically the lines, "[she] dropt / The Playthings of Her Life / To take the honorable Work." When I first read this, I assumed Dickinson was mocking the trivial hobbies that consume a child's attention before they mature and enter the workforce, thus adopting a "practical" hobby. After reading the lines again though, I see that Dickinson is mocking this interpretation. I feel as though she considers her own poetic pursuits a "Plaything of Her Life," and thus mocks the "honor" in giving it up. Yet I also hear some resentment in these lines. Although Dickinson sees truth and honor in perusing one's own interests and passions separate from a man, I feel as though she is distraught by the fact that most other people (and women) don't share this perspective.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, it wasn't until I read Dan's comment that I picked up on the fish-wife metaphor.... Yet reading it with this new lens, I am reminded of Elizabeth Bishop's poem, "The Fish". Instead of being the imprisoned one, the woman in Bishop's poem is (more likely) the narrator and arbiter of fate. As the captor instead of the captive, Bishop – in her "little rented boat" ponders her right to decide the fate of this fish. While Bishop ultimately chooses to let it go, the subject-bride-fish in Dickinson's poem is denied this freedom. These parallels in the poems demonstrate the expressed versus suppressed empathy women are free to wield when they are in positions of authority versus inferiority.
I had a whole long comment and it disappeared, even though I swear I had it saved!! :(
ReplyDeleteIn brief, I wondered why E.D. chose to use past tense here, as she normally uses present tense to locate the action of a poem in the here and now, letting it unfold moment by moment. When she does use past tense, it's typically to contrast a previous state with the present moment. In this case, present tense would make the change feel less permanent, as if the woman-wife might take up her old "Playthings" again someday. In the past tense, it reads like a biography. This is the summary of her life--the most interesting or perhaps the most relatable thing about her. For contrast:
She rises to His Requirement — drops
The Playthings of Her Life
To take the honorable Work
Of Woman, and of Wife —
If ought She misses in Her new Day,
Of Amplitude, or Awe —
Or first Prospective — Or the Gold
In using, wear away,
It lies unmentioned — as the Sea
Develop Pearl, and Weed,
But only to Himself — be known
The Fathoms they abide —
Is there a change? To me, it feels like "Dickinsonian"--less in her particular tone. Perhaps just because it breaks the meter of the first line. What do you all think?
On another note, on my first read-through, I thought the "Himself" referred to the husband, as if the wife's creations/past/selfhood is buried under the surface of their marriage. On my second read-through, I definitely saw it as the sea--I suppose the third option is always God. The question is, who has the power here? Who is the creator? Who is the concealer? By putting this power in the hands of the woman-wife-as-the-Sea, E.D. lets her take back some control and offers a level of restitution--she may not have her old "Playthings," but she can still be a creator in her hidden life--in her mind.
My original post made more sense, but, alas, it is gone into the internet's neverland. :/