There is a solitude of space
A solitude of sea
A solitude of Death, but these
Society shall be
Compared with that profounder site
That polar privacy
A soul admitted to itself –
~ Emily Dickinson
(The Poems of Emily Dickinson, #1696)
solitude of space
Very lovely. Your deer and poem pair nicely. We saw a deer curled up by the lupines the other day, napping. I snapped a picture through the window, but it’s not the clearest of photos. Still might show it on a blog–maybe–just because she looked so peaceful.
Thank you, Kathy. For some reason gmail was throwing my blog email notifications in my junk mail, and it took me a while to figure out why no-one seemed to be commenting on my blog! I hope I get to see your picture of the the deer peacefully napping in the lupines – perhaps it has the soft contours of an impressionist painting…
I agree with Kathy — a beautiful pairing, indeed! We have a herd of about 20 mule deer living in the park about two blocks from our home. We love it when we get a glimpse.
Thank you, Laurie! I don’t believe I’ve ever seen mule deer in person but I thoroughly enjoyed watching a PBS “Nature” episode about them. You can watch it online: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/touching-the-wild/touching-the-wild/8679/
Barbara – Thank you for this link, I plan to watch it online this evening 🙂
You’re welcome, Laurie. I hope you enjoyed it!
Very lovely pairing indeed, even though on some or maybe most occasions I have no idea what Emily is trying so beautifully to express.
Thank you, Jeff. Every time I read Emily’s poems they seem to have a little different meaning to me – I think most poetry affects me that way. And the strange thing is, I can no longer remember what meaning this poem held for me when I posted it a couple of weeks ago…
Interesting that as I’m catching up, Barbara, I came upon this one you posted on July 6th, which is my birthday. It SO speaks to me … in a way that is almost as impossible to explain as Emily’s poem is. For me, at this reading, it is ‘about’ the true and, even, perfect state of being alone, regardless of whether one is with or without society, even alive or dead, for the soul’s fullness cannot be emptied. Like you say, though, her poetry offers a new experience every time. XO
Belated Happy Birthday Wishes to You, Diane!
Sometimes (at least this morning) I think this poem could be expressing the notion that contemplating the vastness of the sea and the infinity of the universe and the endlessness of death can make us feel so small and alone, but when we explore the world within we discover an even more limitless dimension, and it is not so lonely after all.
I love your take Emily’s meaning, too. *hugs*