Emily Dickinson

I was honored to be asked to talk with a class about finding book reviews and evaluating resources on the topic of Emily Dickinson and her poetry. I have always appreciated Emily's poems, especially in light of her lifestyle and hangups. What a joy to redelve into her work.

It took me some investigation into the resources since this is not an area of expertise that I just know in my head. But the information was readily available, and I had the joy of working with the professor to see what was out there and of value. I loved the assignment and the collaboration. How thrilling to continue working with the students after the class as they investigated the suggested books and articles.

So many of Emily's poems are still pertinent to today. Many of them have been set to music. When I directed Amasong, we sang settings of some of her poems: If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking, and If You Were Coming in the Fall. Good poems, to be sure. But consider this one:

THE MOON is distant from the sea,
And yet with amber hands
She leads him, docile as a boy,
Along appointed sands.

He never misses a degree;
Obedient to her eye,
He comes just so far toward the town,
Just so far goes away.

Oh, Signor, thine the amber hand,
And mine the distant sea,
Obedient to the least command
Thine eyes impose on me.

One of my favorite ones! If you have not read Dickinson - or Rossetti - in awhile, I encourage you to dust off a volume and peruse. It may just stir your soul.