Emily for the Day
Sleep is supposed to be
By souls of sanity
The shutting of the eye.
Sleep is the station grand
Down which, on either hand
The hosts of witness stand!
Morn is supposed to be
By people of degree
The breaking of the Day.
Morning has not occurred!
That shall Aurora be —
East of Eternity —
One with the banner gay —
One in the red array —
That is the break of Day!
c. 1858; Johnson, poem 13, pg 12
Returning to poetry, specifically my study of the early work of Emily Dickinson — This is a charming poem, with a varying rhyme scheme and stanza length.
Most of the stanzas use a triple rhyme (note the "ands" in the second stanza and the "ays" in the final stanza), and it's entirely possible the final word of the first stanza is intended as half rhyme. The long "e" rhymes of the first stanza repeat in the third and fifth stanza. The lonely "ay" rhyme in the third stanza is used to conclude the poem in the fifth stanza. These repeated vowel sounds tend to hold the poem together, and emphasize the lack of a rhyme for the single-line fourth verse.
What I read into this poem is a conflict between people of reason and those who dream. The phrase "souls of sanity" is echoed by "people of degree", which suggests a certain irony, or tension. This tension is brought to the breaking point by the single-line fourth verse: "Morning has not occurred!"
In other words, all the tools of reason do not recognize true morning. "Morning", as a new beginning or new birth, is best recognized in brightly-dressed Aurora, the Roman Goddess of the dawn. This is the province of the poets and the dreamers.
Sleep is supposed to be
By souls of sanity
The shutting of the eye.
Sleep is the station grand
Down which, on either hand
The hosts of witness stand!
Morn is supposed to be
By people of degree
The breaking of the Day.
Morning has not occurred!
That shall Aurora be —
East of Eternity —
One with the banner gay —
One in the red array —
That is the break of Day!
c. 1858; Johnson, poem 13, pg 12
Returning to poetry, specifically my study of the early work of Emily Dickinson — This is a charming poem, with a varying rhyme scheme and stanza length.
Most of the stanzas use a triple rhyme (note the "ands" in the second stanza and the "ays" in the final stanza), and it's entirely possible the final word of the first stanza is intended as half rhyme. The long "e" rhymes of the first stanza repeat in the third and fifth stanza. The lonely "ay" rhyme in the third stanza is used to conclude the poem in the fifth stanza. These repeated vowel sounds tend to hold the poem together, and emphasize the lack of a rhyme for the single-line fourth verse.
What I read into this poem is a conflict between people of reason and those who dream. The phrase "souls of sanity" is echoed by "people of degree", which suggests a certain irony, or tension. This tension is brought to the breaking point by the single-line fourth verse: "Morning has not occurred!"
In other words, all the tools of reason do not recognize true morning. "Morning", as a new beginning or new birth, is best recognized in brightly-dressed Aurora, the Roman Goddess of the dawn. This is the province of the poets and the dreamers.
No comments:
Post a Comment