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"Under the light, yet under" By Emily Dickinson
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"Under the light, yet under" By Emily Dickinson

盈盈一笑间
楼主 (文学城)

Under the Light, yet under

By  Emily Dickinson

 

Under the Light, yet under,
Under the Grass and the Dirt,
Under the Beetle’s Cellar
Under the Clover’s Root,

Further than Arm could stretch
Were it Giant long,
Further than Sunshine could
Were the Day Year long,

Over the Light, yet over,
Over the Arc of the Bird —
Over the Comet’s chimney —
Over the Cubit’s Head,

Further than Guess can gallop
Further than Riddle ride —
Oh for a Disc to the Distance
Between Ourselves and the Dead!

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jan/11/poem-of-the-week-under-the-light-yet-under-by-emily-dickinson

 

Like so many of her great poems, this almost-riddle combines a childlike simplicity with great complexity.

In certain poems by Emily Dickinson, a voice sounds through that seems intermittently to draw on the genre of children’s verse for its rhythmic structures. Leaving aside the questions raised by early attempts at marketing Dickinson as a children’s writer, it seems certain that her own youthful reading in the genre remained a significant, deeply absorbed element in her mature technique.

This week’s poem (written in 1865) hints at a particular subdivision of the genre, and, three lines before the end, even plants a kind of clue: “Further than Riddle [can] ride.” The poem is a riddle, of sorts. It seems at first glance almost to have been crafted to entertain and keep a bright young reader guessing. There’s a degree of playful teasing in the opening line, effected by the repetition of “under” (“Under the Light, yet under.”) This is a bit like saying “you’re getting warm” when a player is on the right track in a guessing game, but needs to go farther. In the alliterative devices of the last stanza, though, the poem is also a reminder of the Old English riddle, not at all a children’s genre. Technically and imaginatively, Dickinson will always transcend categories.

This “riddle” is one that is designed to “ride” consistently beyond itself. Its aim is multi-directional and vastly long-distance, but the “answer” is a condition wholly unreachable. The reader’s mind is led “under”, “further”, “over” and “further” again. The five repetitions (of “under”) in the first stanza are unique. They set the scene on earth, and almost immediately push beneath it, with typically close-seen natural images, uniting those particularly associated with the graveyard (“the Grass and the Dirt”) with suggestions of nourishment and vitality (“the Beetle’s Cellar”, “the Clover’s Root”).

The mystery intensifies. Now the direction of the first stanza is reversed and we’re urged to look “over the Light”. This is the point where the light becomes metaphysical. We were not meant to be detained by the lovely image of extended sunlight in the last line of stanza two.

Dickinson springs her best surprises in the third stanza. The “Comet’s chimney” very likely refers to the Great Comet of 1823, also designated C/1823 Y1 or Comet De Bréauté-Pons. Jean-Louis Pons had believed when he first observed the phenomenon that he was seeing smoke from a chimney. Only the smoke’s failure to move alerted him to his mistake. It was a bright comet with two “tails”, visible during the last month of 1823 and the first months of 1824.

The image of the “Cubit’s Head” is more obscure. The biblical cubit was only the length of a forearm, after all. But perhaps the owner of the forearm was King Og, the giant who was slain by Moses, and, according to the Talmud, could have destroyed Israel by overturning a mountain. He sets a different standard for cubits, and for giant’s bedsteads. Dickinson’s second stanza includes a giant, and might have led her to further thoughts about Og and the head of his vast bed.

The poem that’s so much more than a riddle gives up its subject indirectly, with an interjection of intense longing: “Oh for a Disc to the Distance / Between Ourselves and the Dead!” The “disc” (from the Latin diskos, meaning a quoit) might suggest a circular-shaped planet or star that could at least be seen from the Earth, if not visited, or simply, playfully, a “discus” that could be thrown into the hands of those no longer on the Earth. It might also suggest a coin or key-like device, which would open an imagined lock. The speaker seems to ask for something utterly simple and hugely complex at the same time. It’s a characteristic combination of qualities, belonging to much of her most vital work. There are many poets contained in a single Dickinson poem, and many ages – in all senses of the word.

 

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盈盈一笑间
2 楼
秋兰,小西,绿兄,颤音兄,还有其他爱好英文诗的朋友,看过来。欢迎赏析讨论。:))
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盈盈一笑间
3 楼
There are many poets contained in a single Dickinson poem,
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盈盈一笑间
4 楼
and many ages – in all senses of the word.
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盈盈一笑间
5 楼
这一句该怎么理解?
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renqiulan
6 楼
Biblical references are not in short supply.
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CBA7
7 楼
盈盈好,估计张艺谋对这首诗的感悟最深,因为他导演了新片 “坚如磐石(Under the Light)" ,哈哈哈。
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renqiulan
8 楼
Rhymes and rhythms must be in your DNA.
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renqiulan
9 楼
I doubt it.
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renqiulan
10 楼
小西, you really have tongue-in-cheek humor.
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renqiulan
11 楼
It is my personal bias that one can't truly appreciate
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renqiulan
12 楼
classical English poetry without a biblical background.
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renqiulan
13 楼
Don't get me wrong, though. You don't have to be religious.
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renqiulan
14 楼
My take is that Dickinson, well-versed in classics, was like
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renqiulan
15 楼
an orchestra conductor who "called up'" musicians and
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renqiulan
16 楼
delivered a unified version of classic music through her.
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renqiulan
17 楼
That's what a poetic maestro(a) like her did.
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CBA7
18 楼
Hahaha, no kidding this time, see inside:

刚在网上找到了解读这首诗的两篇文章,详见下面的链接:

Under the Light, yet under | BookishNerDan (slowlander.com)

Under the Light, yet under by Emily Dickinson (eliteskills.com)

 

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CBA7
19 楼
You're absolutely right :)
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忒忒绿
20 楼
抽空翻译一下:)
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renqiulan
21 楼
Indeed, no one can afford NOT to take Dickinson seriously.
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renqiulan
22 楼
Sunday nights are notoriously short. Goodnight, everyone!
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CBA7
23 楼
忒绿诗人对Emily Dickinson的诗歌好像很有研究吧,期待!
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CBA7
24 楼
Count me in. Double indeed!
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CBA7
25 楼
To me, it seems to mean her poetry is timeless,超越了时间和空间。
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CBA7
26 楼
I cannot agree more.
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xia23
27 楼
Why are all nouns being capitalized as if they

were in German?

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CBA7
28 楼
Great interpretation!
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CBA7
29 楼
Meanwhile, it means her poetry is timeless, 超越了时间和空间。
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CBA7
30 楼
We should work 4 days a week, not on Monday :)
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CBA7
31 楼
Anyway, Happy Monday, everyone!
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waterfowl
32 楼
同问
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盈盈一笑间
33 楼
谢谢楼上诸位讨论。等有空,我再来慢慢回复。祝大家新周愉快。:))
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爱听歌的奥黛丽
34 楼
读了诗,回头来看解释和回复:)新周愉快!
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盈盈一笑间
35 楼
Happy Monday, everyone! +100086!
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盈盈一笑间
36 楼
哈哈,亚历山大。丽丽新周愉快!:))
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颤音
37 楼
a riddle indeed, she likes writing about death
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xia23
38 楼
Google said: for emphasizing the chosen words and themes!

From google search:

https://www.google.com/search?q=why+do+Dickinson%27s+poem+have+nouns+in+capital+letters&rlz=1C1IHCB_enUS722US729&oq=why+do+Dickinson%27s+poem+have+nouns+in+capital+letters&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRirAtIBCTQ1NTcwajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Why would Dickinson break the rules of English with such flagrant disregard? It's anybody's guess. But to us Shmoopers, the capitalization here—and in many of her other poems—helps to really emphasize the chosen words (and therefore their connotations and themes). It also seems to heighten the words in a way.

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