Jesus!
thy Crucifix
Enable
thee to guess
The
smaller size!
Jesus!
thy second face
Mind
thee in Paradise
Of
ours!
-
F197 (1861) 225
Life
can bring a heaping measure of pain, but Christians hope that Jesus will help
them bear it. Dickinson isn’t asking here for Jesus to take the pain away, but
only that he understand. She suggests that because of the agony he suffered
during crucifixion he can “guess” the smaller pain of our human hurts. It
doesn’t sound like a strong prayer –
there is probably little doubt among Christians that Jesus understands our
pain. No need to remind him about his time on the cross.
In
the second stanza she is asking that his “second” resurrected face reminds him
in heaven of our human faces. “Faces,” I take here mean more than faces but
stand in for our human, fleshly selves. I think she’s implying that there is an
actual body in Heaven.
The
poem is configured as a prayer with the first two lines of both short stanzas
written in parallel structure. As usual, Dickinson cuts words and syllables to
get the utmost concision. “Crucifix” is used rather than “crucifixion”; “Mind”
is used rather than “remind”; “The smaller size” is used rather than “The
smaller size of our pain.” I sometimes think of her creative process as akin to
long-distance travelers who, forced to lighten their load, toss everything they
can out the back of the covered wagon. Her extra words and syllables litter the
prairie behind her.
the "second face" also evokes the veil of veronica
ReplyDeleteI had to look up the reference; very interesting! Thank you.
Delete
ReplyDeleteWith the exclamation marks it seems more of a desperate prayer when close to losing faith. Maybe crucifix is the cross, burdens rather than the pain of crucifixion.
“Second face” is still puzzling. Yes after resurrection, but why “face?” Is it to remind Jesus of human faces? Would it have been more apt for Jesus’ face to remind God?
I agree with you about ‘crucifix’ being the cross. Thank you for that. I’m not sure about ‘second face’ but will stick with my commentary. Christians can hope that Jesus remembers his human self. His first face would have been divine — His Trinity nature. The second face, the one that came next, would be that of suffering, imperfect humans.
DeleteThis short poem is the second half of a short note to Sam Bowles in late 1861. The note appears religious and empathetic in nature, telling Bowles that she “did not learn to pray”, but she listens to woes of friends and often tells Virgin Mary about their pains:
ReplyDelete"Dear Mr Bowles -
"We told you we did not learn to pray - but then our freckled bosom bears it’s friends - in it’s own way - to a simpler sky - and many’s the time we leave their pain with the ‘Virgin Mary.
"Jesus! thy Crucifix
Enable thee to guess
The smaller size!
"Jesus! thy second face
Mind thee in Paradise
Of ours!"
Not trying to split hairs, but I’m puzzled. Why does ED refer to herself with the royal “We” in this religious note to her good friend : “We told you…”, “…our freckled bosom…”, and “…we leave their pain…”? Why doesn’t she just say “I told you…”. “…my freckled bosom…”, and “…I leave their pain…”? Such condescension could get on a fellow’s nerves. And why, for God’s sake, does she tell Bowles in this note, of all notes, that she has freckles on her bosom? Weird, just weird.
Thanks for the context and including the short note — and for the chuckle.
DeleteJust realized she used the phrase "my freckled bosom", (not
ReplyDelete"our freckled bosom") in a powerful poem, F267:
"Rearrange a "Wife's" Affection!
When they dislocate my Brain!
Amputate my freckled Bosom!
Make me bearded like a man!"