They
leave us with the Infinite,
But
He—is not a man—
His
fingers are the size of fists—
His
fists, the size of men—
And
whom he foundeth, with his Arm
As
Himmaleh, shall stand—
Gibraltar's
Everlasting Shoe
Poised
lightly on his Hand,
So
trust him, Comrade—
You
for you, and I, for you and me
Eternity
is ample,
And
quick enough, if true.
F352
(1862) 350
I
believe this poem builds on earlier ones where Dickinson speaks of a heavenly
marriage to a man with whom she has pledged her love. We most recently saw this
in “He touched me, so I live to know” (F349) where the speaker yearns for that
eventual “Port” where she can join with her beloved as Rebecca joined Isaac.
This poem reads as an attempt to buck up a potentially wavering lover. Perhaps
he isn’t as hopeful as the poet about living a lifetime apart, secure in
knowing that they’ll be united in Heaven.
Dickinson begins as if in the middle
of this conversation: “They [society and its conventional view of marriage]
leave us with the Infinite.” In other words, “We don’t have any other choice
but to wait for Eternity where we can at last be joined.” Too bad for Dickinson
that she fell in love with married men! No earthly and conventional wedding for
her. But the Infinite is not to be despised, for “He”—clearly God—is huge and
strong. If he puts his giant arm and hand out to protect you, there is not need
for fear. Why he could support the entire Himalayas! The Rock of Gibraltar is
but an “Everlasting Shoe / Poised lightly on his Hand.”
 |
| Gibraltar does look a bit like a shoe with its heel side up. |
The third stanza is all exhortation: “trust
him, Comrade.” And don’t worry if you can’t muster up quite enough faith. Just
have faith enough for yourself, and I will have enough trust for both “you and
me.” “Eternity is ample,” she reassures him. Plenty of time for us, so no need
to fret now. And because in comparison with eternity, our human lives are very
very short, she adds a final comforting note: eternity will come “quick enough.”
But just as she offers the
reassurance, she almost snatches it away in the last line: “if true.” What a
caveat! What if it’s not true?? Well then, they would have postponed the
consummation of their love for nothing. Since Dickinson is nothing if not
skeptical about the accepted revealed truths of Christianity, she would
probably feel compelled to add that “if true” caveat to the poem, even at the
risk of sounding ham-handed. I think she does, but then again I don’t
particularly like this poem. The best part, for me, is the image of Gibraltar
as a giant shoe.
Susan’s explication says my interpretation exactly, except she names no “you”.
ReplyDeleteFranklin dates Variant A as about first half of 1862, which would precede Wadsworth’s June 1 departure for San Francisco. ED folded but did not address or sign Variant A, which is clean, obviously never mailed. Variant B is unfolded, apparently copied for a fascicle.
Variants A and B have identical wording, but Stanza 3 of the folded Variant A has six lines, not four. To my ear the six-line variant commands more definitive personal equality and closing doubt than the four-line version:
Variant A
So trust him, Comrade—
You for you, and I,
For you and me—
Eternity is ample—
And quick enough,
If true.
Variant B
So trust him, Comrade—
You for you, and I, for you and me
Eternity is ample,
And quick enough, if true.
Perhaps ED felt Wadsworth would be uneasy with the insistent directness and forceful doubt of Variant A, so kept it to herself.