Sunday, September 22, 2013

Favorite Poetry: In a Library

I'm going to honestly confess that, having noticed that I haven't posted in forever, I ambled over to Project Gutenberg and scanned Dickinson poetry until I found something suitable.  My life has been pretty full the past few weeks - and it will continue to be so at least until October - hence the neglect of this blog.  Sorry about that.  But anyway, though I have just discovered it, this is a lovely poem (what poem of Emily Dickinson's isn't, really?) and I'm glad I found it.



In a Library
by Emily Dickinson 

A precious, mouldering pleasure 't is 
To meet an antique book, 
In just the dress his century wore; 
A privilege, I think, 

 His venerable hand to take, 
And warming in our own, 
A passage back, or two, to make 
To times when he was young.

His quaint opinions to inspect, 
His knowledge to unfold 
On what concerns our mutual mind, 
The literature of old; 

What interested scholars most, 
What competitions ran 
When Plato was a certainty. 
And Sophocles a man; 

When Sappho was a living girl, 
And Beatrice wore 
The gown that Dante deified. 
Facts, centuries before, 

He traverses familiar, 
As one should come to town 
And tell you all your dreams were true; 
He lived where dreams were sown.
 
His presence is enchantment, 
You beg him not to go; 
Old volumes shake their vellum heads 
And tantalize, just so.
Pictures via Tumblr.

7 comments:

  1. Yay, Dickinson! :) My favourite of hers has to be Fainting Robin/I Shall Not Live in Vain.

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    1. I love "I Shall Not Live in Vain" too! 'Tis very encouraging. :)

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  2. Thank you so much for posting this! "When Beatrice wore the gown that Dante deified", how lovely and quaint to actually think about. That's why one loves old books, you know: for it was the currency of later immortality.

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    1. You're welcome! I know, isn't it just a delicious thought? "When Plato was a certainty,/And Sophocles a man"... Emily Dickinson was amazing.

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  3. I'm thankful that I found your blog. Keep postin! :)
    Andrea

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    1. Welcome! :D I'll try to...my posts can be few and far between, but I've never abandoned the dear old blog for more than a month....that's encouraging, right? :p

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Your comments make my day! I read every single one of them, and I'll usually check out my commenters' blogs, if I don't follow them already. I try to reply to my comments, but please don't be offended if I don't make it to yours. Procrastination habits do extend to comment replies, unfortunately.

Of course, courtesy is necessary. I will delete any comments which do not meet my requirements.

Thanks for making the effort to tell me your thoughts!

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