A Light exists in Spring
Not present in the Year
At any other period –
When March is scarcely here
A Color stands abroad
On Solitary Fields
That Science cannot overtake
But Human Nature feels.
It waits upon the Lawn
It shows the furthest Tree
Opon the furthest Slope you know
It almost speaks to you.
Then as Horizons step
Or Noons report away
Without the Formula of sound
It passes and we stay –
A quality of loss
Affecting our Content
As Trade had suddenly encroached
Upon a Sacrament.
~ Emily Dickinson
(The Poems of Emily Dickinson, #962)
Barbara,
Your choices are astounding, painting and poem dance and sing in the light of spring. How in need of spring we all seem to be! As I walked this morning, just moments ago, in the distance, to the west, I viewed the color of tree tops, pink/red with the morning Sun not yet over the horizon but bouncing color…
Oh Jeff, you are so kind – thank you! There seems to be a hint of spring in the air, even though we’re supposed to be getting a wintry mix of weather tomorrow. “Red sun in morning, sailors take warning…” Your just-before-dawn pink and red sunlight – so beautiful, even if it was suggesting a storm might be on the way!
Barbara – We’ve just been upgraded from a winter storm “watch” to “warning.” Apparently we can expect 9-inches of snow in the next 72-hours. Why do I mentioned this? Because your post gives me HOPE FOR SPRING. Thank you!
Spring will come, Laurie – it always does! It’s just a matter of how early or late it will be, and how long it will decide to stay once it arrives… I hope you didn’t get buried under too much snow. Looks like your storm will be here with us tomorrow.
I couldn’t say it better than Jeff. Lovely post.
Thank you, Sybil! Jeff does have a wonderful way with his words as well as with his camera. 🙂
Another beautiful pairing, Barbara. 🙂 I agree with Emily about the light. Each season brings its own special brand of light.
Thank you, Robin! It’s nice knowing someone who appreciates the subtle differences in light, too. You capture so many of its unique moods in the lovely photos you post on your blog.
Such a beautiful painting – even though its of brown grass and leafless trees.
I know what Emily means – I saw the light when I walked this afternoon…
Thank you, Rosie! It took me a long time to find a painting that looked the way it does here in New England early in March. We don’t get leaves on our trees until the end of April! Wondering what the light of early spring would feel like if I had been there to walk with you, some 3,000 miles southwest from me…
Splendid marriage of painting and poem … I have shared this one on FB.
Thank you, Diane, for your kind words and the sharing. I can’t seem to keep up with everyone and everything Facebook these days…
No, problem, Barbara – it is a challenge to keep up for me, too! But I love coming to your blog and sharing when I do! XO
So many challenges and blessings in the digital age – I love visiting your blog, too, and am so grateful for your friendship! *hugs*
I’ve been in love with Dickinson for longer than I remember.
Damyanti
Co-host, A to Z Challenge 2013
It’s always nice to be in touch with others who appreciate Emily! Like you, Damyanti, she seems to have been one who wrote daily, and I’ve been dazzled by her poems and letters for many years now…
Hi Barbara. I hadn’t seen this Emily Dickinson poem before. It fits very well with the painting, so much light in both poem and painting.. The water in the brook looks real. Jane
Thank you, Jane! It seems like whenever I get a new volume of Emily’s poems I stumble across a couple more of them I’ve never seen before. The light and water are beautifully captured in the painting – but of course, this morning I’ve woken up to several inches of a March snowfall on the ground.
Barbara, I feel spring in both the picture and the poetry. It is inspiring! We had a twelve inch snowfall yesterday, so the thought of spring–and light–is welcome.
It’s amazing to me the amounts of snow you get on such a regular basis out and up there in Michigan, Kathy! I suspect I have no concept of how long a winter can truly be. I hope your trip to Florida will fill you with enough light to get you through the rest of your winter. *hugs*
Couldn’t help myself, but shared again! 🙂
Thank you, Diane! 🙂 *hugs*