Catherine “Kate” Scott Turner (1831-1917)
Amherst College Archives & Special Collections
Interestingly, scholars have noticed that Emily’s dress seems to be out of date for the time period when this daguerreotype was taken. But this seems to make sense in light of what she wrote in a letter to her friend, Abiah Palmer Root (1830-1915): “I’m so old fashioned, Darling, that all your friends would stare.”
The following poem was included in a letter Emily wrote to Kate, about 1859. In the letter Emily noted: “All we are strangers, dear. The world is not acquainted with us because we are not acquainted with her.”
There are two Ripenings
One of sight –
Whose forces spheric wind,
Until the velvet product
Drops spicy to the Ground,
A Homelier Maturing,
A process in the Burr
That teeth of Frosts alone Disclose
On far October air.
Emelie.
~ Emily Dickinson
(Letters of Emily Dickinson)
(December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886)
We turn not older with years, but newer every day.
~ Emily Dickinson
(Letters of Emily Dickinson)
Happy Birthday, Emily!
happy, Happy, HAPPY birthday dear Emily!
🙂 !!!
Indeed, Happy Birthday Miss Emily, truly one of my favorites 🙂
Me, too! 🙂
We turn not older with years, but newer every day….
Always appreciating the words and wisdom of Emily D 🙂
Even if she was hopelessly old fashioned and out of date! 🙂
The quote is wonderful. It frames aging in a totally different (and much more positive) way.
So true, Sheryl – I have this quote from Emily on my refrigerator, a lovely daily reminder.
Belated Happy Birthday greetings. Great quotes (as always).
Love this one:
“I’m so old fashioned, Darling, that all your friends would stare.”
Were they more fashion conscious in those days than we are now?
Thanks, Rosie. I love that quote, too, as I often feel out of step with the latest trends and go more for comfort over style as I get older.
I suspect that there have always been those who took note of what other people were wearing and have tried to emulate the fashions of those who they admired.
A few years ago we went to a very fancy wedding at a 5-star hotel in Santa Barbara. I wrote a post about it but didn’t mention that I wore my comfortable flat sandals with my elegant evening gown. My friend who we stayed with said “You’re not wearing THOSE shoes?” “Yes I am,” I said. She was horrified.
I think I was the only one at the wedding who didn’t have sore feet by the end of the evening. 🙂
Good for you, Rosie! I would have done the exact same thing if I had been in your shoes. 🙂
You might appreciate what my daughter and future son-in-law suggested to the guests coming to their wedding in the woods: “You will be walking on grass and dirt most of the day, so leave your high heels at home. If there was rain there will be mud. There will be a giant fire, and food will be messy and the cabins don’t have maid service. So you might want to save your Sunday best for another day. Certainly we will be dressed up for the ceremony but as soon as that’s done we are going to get very comfortable and encourage you to do the same.”
Love the idea of a wedding in the woods. My daughter also wanted to get married in the woods, but all the places with cabins were booked up…
That’s too bad your daughter and her wife couldn’t get a reservation. Larisa & Dima had to change their wedding date because the date they wanted was already booked. Perhaps weddings in the woods are becoming more popular.
A belated Happy Birthday to Emily! I love that quote about the world not being acquainted with us because we are not acquainted with her. How true.
Sorry to take so long getting back to responding to comments. Emily certainly let the world become acquainted with her after her death by means of her simple, yet profound, poems… Or so I like to believe…
I celebrate Emily every day! Her poetry is an endless journey into independent thought and uncharted waters. Thank you for sharing!
Me, too, Diane! I keep a little pocket book of her poetry in my handbag so I can take a dip in those uncharted waters whenever in need of a little inspiration!