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| Death in Emily Dickinson's Poetry |
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發表於 Sat 30 Apr 2005
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2005.01
Author: 李卓彧
Death in Emily Dickenson’s poetry
Introduction:
After reading some of Emily Dickenson’s poems in the American Literature class, I became interested in her life, autobiography, and poetry. Therefore, I decided to analyze her poetry in terms of death. First of all, I tried to translate five of her poems related to death. Then I would analyze and interpret each poem.
Translations
#88
And by the dead we love to sit, 就像我們愛坐在死者身旁
Become so wondrous dear- 他們變得無比親切珍貴
As for the lost we grapple 就像我們極力要爭回失去的
Tho’ all the rest are here 儘管其他的都在這裡
In broken mathematics 我們用極差的算術
We estimate our prize 評估我們的獎品
Vast- in its fading ratio 巨大無比---它漸逝的比例
To our penurious eyes! 對我們如豆大的眼睛
#241
I like a look of Agony, 我喜愛痛苦的臉孔
Because I know it’s true- 因我深知那是真實的
Men do not shame Convulsion, 人不用假裝抽搐
Nor simulate, a Throe 也不用假裝劇痛
The Eyes glaze once- and that is Death 目光呆滯---即是死亡---
Impossible to fein 無從偽裝
The Beads upon the Forehead 額上汗珠
By homely Anguish strung. 由真樸的痛苦所串成
#465
I heard a Fly buzz- when I dies- 當我死時，我聽見一隻蒼蠅翁翁叫
The Stillness in the Room 屋內一片寂靜
Was like the Stillness in the Air 如同空中的寂靜
Between the Heaves of Storm 在暴風雨的撼動起伏間
The Eyes around- had wrung them dry- 圍繞著眼睛都已哭得乾癟
And Breaths were gathering firm 當呼吸也逐漸聚集穩定後
For that last Onset- When the King 為了最後一擊---當國王
Be witnessed- in the Room- 在屋中---被親眼目睹---
I willed my Keepsakes- Signed away 我立了遺囑，簽字離去
What portion of me be 我所有可簽讓的部分
Assignable- and then it was 而就在此時
There interposed a Fly 一隻蒼蠅介於中間
With Blue- uncertain stumbling Buzz- 帶著憂鬱、不確定躊躇蹣跚的嗡嗡聲
Between the light- and me- 在我與光之間
And then the Windows failed- and then 然後窗子暗了，之後
I could not see to see- 我看不見我要看的
#712
Because I could not stop for Death 因為我不能為死亡佇足等候
He kindly stopped for me- 他乃好心地為我停下
The Carriage held but just Ourselves 馬車上只乘載我倆
And Immortality. 和永生
We slowly drove- He knew no haste 我們慢慢前進---他從容不迫
And I had put away 而我也收拾起
My labor and my leisure too, 我生前的勞動和閒暇
For His Civility- 只因他的殷勤
We passed the School, where Children 我們路過學校，學童們
At Recess- in the Ring- 正在休息時間於遊樂場玩耍
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain 我們路過一田田凝神注視的稻穀
We passed the Setting Sun 我們路過西下的太陽
Or rather- He passed Us- 或者說---他路過我們---
The Dews drew quivering and chill- 露珠使我們顫抖且寒意澈骨
For only Gossamer, my Gown- 因為我的長袍僅是游絲
My Tippet- only Tulle- 我的披肩僅是薄紗
We paused before a House that seemed 我們在一間房子前停下，他像
A Swelling of the Ground- 地上的一塊隆起
The Roof was scarcely visible- 屋簷幾乎看不見
The Cornice- in the Ground- 屋簷在地上
Since then- ‘tis Centuries- and yet 從此以後---過了好幾個世紀---但是
Feels shorter than the Day 感覺卻比那天還要短
I first surmised the Horses’ Heads 那天我第一次發現馬匹的頭
Were toward Eternity- 朝向永恆---
#749
All but Death, can be Adjusted- 除了死亡以外，其餘皆可被調整
Dynasties repaired- 朝代再興
Systems- settled in their Sockets- 體系---安置在他們孔上---
Citadels- dissolved- 堡壘---瓦解---
Wastes of Lives- resown with colors 生命的荒棄---再次播種了色彩---
By Succeeding Springs- 被繼來的春天
Death- unto itself- Exception- 而死亡其本身是個特例---
Is exempt from Change- 身處變遷之外
Interpretations and analysis:
In the poem #88, Emily Dickenson talks about the ratio of attainability. Why do we grow to cherish people around us until they have gone or passed away? Why do we become to understand the value of things until we have lost them? It’s because that
We can no longer communicate with dead people at the same time we can no more get what we have lost again; therefore their value becomes priceless which is so vast beyond calculation. I think here Emily Dickenson tries to remind people that if there were no death in this world, people would not know the truth of existence, cherishment, and self-examination. This poem is short but thought- provoking.
In the poem #241, Emily Dickenson satires people’s pretentiousness. She thinks human beings are hypocrites. We can pretend to be happy and put on a fake smile even though we are not happy at all. She brings out the dark side of humans and shows a passive or pessimistic perspective toward it. Only when we are in great pains and sufferings can we show our true feelings and inner thoughts. She doesn’t offer any comforts instead I think she is a little bit sarcastic here like an outsider laughs at all these.
In the poem #465, Emily Dickenson tries to present that a dead person looks back on her life, surroundings, and the way to death. She walks in a dead person’s persona, silently observe relatives’ reactions and the process to death. Her calm, cold unmoved attitude make me shiver, because when people meet death, their usual reactions are fear, pains, and gradually become vague to the surroundings. However, here we can feel directly that she is awake and her soul stands beside her body, looks at everything quietly without pains. I guess that’s why Emily Dickenson uses the past tense to describe all these, for the narrator is already dead. For a woman in the 19th century, this poem I think is a breakthrough, for here we can sense that Emily Dickenson uses her imagination to picture the dead world and shows her desire to control the situation of death, which is definitely a good try.
Apparently, poem #712 is about the relationship among life, death, and eternity. Lots of Emily Dickenson’s poems are of the same topic, but as far as I read, I find that she seldom regards death as evil, unfriendly, rather she depicts death as mysterious, elusive, and unpredictable. Here we can see that she uses personification to describe death as a gentleman accompanied us quietly, who is kind, friendly, and thoughtful. Here I suppose Emily expresses her wish to die, to live in the eternal world without hustles and bustles, without pains or worries, and that’s why she lives alone, isolated from the outside world. In addition, I think she seems to tell us that when we are young, healthy, and strong, we should be brave to love, to try new things, to live out everyday, every moment, to show the living power of existence. We should not stop for death, to let him catch up with us. However, death itself is not evil at all, he gives us a opportunity to look back on our life throughout childhood, youth, and age and leads us to the immortal world after death.
In the final poem #749, Emily Dickenson shows her perspective toward death. I think that here we can relate this idea to the Bible. In the Bible, Jesus Christ resurrect to the world for redemption, and salvation of human beings. However, Emily Dickenson suggests another point of view that death is unlike everything else. It doesn’t symbolize anything and it has nothing to do with the rest things. It is independent and unexpectedly happens to mankind. It lives alone in this world and cannot be adjusted or changed, completely on its own.  
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