Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Emily Dickinson Writes my Blog



133.

WATER is taught by thirst;
Land, by the oceans passed;
Transport, by throe;
Peace, by its battles told;
Love, by memorial mould;
Birds, by the snow.


I copied the above Emily Dickinson poem from Bartleby.com. May fire consume me as I write these words but if this were the only poem of hers I'd ever encountered I'd say she was too reductionst. Surely there are more luxurious ways to learn than by opposition. But for six lines, I say she travelled far and did so elegantly and in style. In her brevity lie genius and compassion.

2 comments:

  1. Yes, well put. Poetry is often like that: appealing, but unconvincing in its claims.

    It's quite a relief reading thoughtful comments as I surf through the wild cyberspace, not really knowing what I want to find or why. So thank you and good luck.

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  2. newjenny: thanks for your own intelligent response, and for the good luck which I need in abundance. cheers.

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