smartypants5391
11-04-2007, 02:06 PM
I am having some trouble interpreting the poems of Emily Dickinson (the filter censors Dickinson), as some of my ideas seem to be off the mark. At the moment, I am attempting to understand the poem "Sleeping", and could use some advice. I will post my thoughts on the poem, and I would appreciate it if someone with any knowledge of Dickinson could help critique my thoughts or come up with their own interpretations. Anyway, the poem is as follows:
A long, long sleep, a famous sleep
That makes no show for dawn
By strech of limb or stir of lid, --
An independent one.
Was ever idleness like this?
Within a hut of stone
To bask the centuries away
Nor once look up for noon?
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I felt that in the first stanza, Emily is describing as special, unimpaired kind of sleep. This sleep is "famous" because nobody sleeps in this unimpaired state. The sleep makes "no show for dawn", which signifies that the person has no intention of ending the sleep just because dawn mandates that one should get up and work. Because of this, the sleep is independent, and has no regard for other occurrences. Also, dawn can signify a new beginning, so perhaps the sleeper has no desire to start something new. In contrast to this sleep, Emily occupied her life by constantly writing new poems, and was driven to do so by her own desires.
In the second stanza, Emily is pondering whether or not people can life like this; being content, and enjoying (bask) doing nothing. In the poem, noon could be literal, as in never looking at the time, or it could signify a high point, as in reaching for great achievement. Once again, Emily wrote her poems at a breakneck pace, and perhaps she was wishing to be content in simply living. If any of the lines puzzle me, it would be the "hut of stone" mention. Is Emily referencing earlier times, when life was more simplistic?
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Well, those are my thoughts on the poem, but as I mentioned, I have a tendency to misconstrue the purpose/point of Emily's poems. I would appreciate any help, and please don't feel like you have to be knowledgeable in this subject to comment. Thanks in advance.
A long, long sleep, a famous sleep
That makes no show for dawn
By strech of limb or stir of lid, --
An independent one.
Was ever idleness like this?
Within a hut of stone
To bask the centuries away
Nor once look up for noon?
-------------------------------------
I felt that in the first stanza, Emily is describing as special, unimpaired kind of sleep. This sleep is "famous" because nobody sleeps in this unimpaired state. The sleep makes "no show for dawn", which signifies that the person has no intention of ending the sleep just because dawn mandates that one should get up and work. Because of this, the sleep is independent, and has no regard for other occurrences. Also, dawn can signify a new beginning, so perhaps the sleeper has no desire to start something new. In contrast to this sleep, Emily occupied her life by constantly writing new poems, and was driven to do so by her own desires.
In the second stanza, Emily is pondering whether or not people can life like this; being content, and enjoying (bask) doing nothing. In the poem, noon could be literal, as in never looking at the time, or it could signify a high point, as in reaching for great achievement. Once again, Emily wrote her poems at a breakneck pace, and perhaps she was wishing to be content in simply living. If any of the lines puzzle me, it would be the "hut of stone" mention. Is Emily referencing earlier times, when life was more simplistic?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, those are my thoughts on the poem, but as I mentioned, I have a tendency to misconstrue the purpose/point of Emily's poems. I would appreciate any help, and please don't feel like you have to be knowledgeable in this subject to comment. Thanks in advance.