tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post3456994584122071231..comments2024-03-29T06:02:33.720-07:00Comments on the prowling Bee: There is a Shame of Nobleness –Susan Kornfeldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05384011972647144453noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-63549009892413871482024-02-12T15:26:07.546-08:002024-02-12T15:26:07.546-08:00It has been said ED read her dictionary just for f...It has been said ED read her dictionary just for fun and, no doubt, words like “Pelf”. ED Lex lists “wealth” as first definition, but adds etymology: Old French, “pilfer”. Sounds right to me.<br /><br />Reading Susan K and d scribe humbles. They see deeply, say clearly what they see. It’s an Exstasy for this TPBers. ED says “One More – "Ye Blessed" – to be told –” feels like Disgrace. So be it. You enrich our lives. Please keep pilfering.<br />Larry Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02810899482852120751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-71138365214588831282023-12-24T08:53:03.131-08:002023-12-24T08:53:03.131-08:00I remember when I was studying Hinduism that the U...I remember when I was studying Hinduism that the Upanishads described layers of ego traps as you go deeper and deeper into Atman. For instance, you may gain yogic powers such as levitation, but you must be careful, because this power is a trap. You must go beyond it. This poem has that quality for me, escalating "tests" of the spirit. <br /><br />The first test, rejecting the "rewards" that come from being noble. This is a value deeply embedded in our culture. I think of a superhero refusing a cash reward, or Beowulf leaving all treasure behind from Grendel's lair except the head. <br /><br />The second test is, perhaps, much harder. It's hard enough to reject wealth, but pleasure? But pleasure can be a trap too. Here again I think of the ancient Yogis. If you go deep enough into meditation you may discover a deep ecstasy. This ecstasy tricks one into thinking you've reached the goal, but even this, (and really any pleasure) can entrap us.<br /><br />This rejection of ecstasy accords with the bent in ED's poems in fascicle 30, especially fr665, in which she aligns herself with the martyr poets. Reaching back to fr645, the poet speaks of exhilaration, which should be "For Visitor — Or Sacrament —'Tis not of Holiday."<br /><br />So the poet is bravely going through the process of liberation (or whatever you want to call it), but don't call her brave for it! Because that's the next level of difficulty you face, the "best disgrace", to have pride in your own courage. If you've ever done anything "heroic", you know that there is a very uncomfortable embarrassment in being thanked for the deed; it was done for love, not self-gratification. To receive gratitude feels somehow profane. (Have you ever returned a wallet and the person tries to give you a reward? Though it is offered in gratitude, it feels somehow like an insult.)<br /><br />The final test will be after death, when you reject even the "blessing" of God. This recalls an earlier poem, fr634 in which ED writes of "confident despair". (According to Christanne Miller's book, fr634 would actually be a later poem than fr668, as it is from fascicle 31. I think this makes sense, considering the journey ED is on). <br /><br />The idea of rejecting the idea of being "blessed" resonates with me. It so often seems to come from a place of comparison. When I hear people say they are "blessed", or worse, "There go I, but for the grace of God" I feel a twinge of shame. <br /><br />This poem, showing the ever finer gradations of "shame", is full of a deep hermetic insight. All 4 levels are worth meditating on further. For me it is that second level that is the toughest. Ecstasy is tenacious!<br />d scribehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08242682202760522439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-71664446787500655982020-07-26T14:12:30.300-07:002020-07-26T14:12:30.300-07:00You are wright, it should be a variant since in po...You are wright, it should be a variant since in portuguese the word is "êxtase", speling exact like in the poem, except the letter "y". ( In portuguese there is no such letter in the alphabet.) Antonio Zumpanohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14827624350984488798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-15640128928295226192020-07-26T11:49:27.075-07:002020-07-26T11:49:27.075-07:00I think it's just a variant spelling that we n...I think it's just a variant spelling that we no longer use. It would have been an old variant in Dickinson's day, so I'm guessing she just liked it -- likes the extra emphasis and attention to the word, perhaps.Susan Kornfeldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05384011972647144453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-91125183684014773012020-07-26T11:47:44.720-07:002020-07-26T11:47:44.720-07:00Yes, this one took a while, but it was worth it.Yes, this one took a while, but it was worth it.Susan Kornfeldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05384011972647144453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-80962614702647724102020-07-26T11:24:17.141-07:002020-07-26T11:24:17.141-07:00What about the word "extasy" used in the...What about the word "extasy" used in the poem? It should be ecstasy for sure, but, may be, ED did not like the word ecstasy since it means C11H15NO2 a hallucination!!! Antonio Zumpanohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14827624350984488798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-21224970328580268072020-07-26T11:13:25.666-07:002020-07-26T11:13:25.666-07:00It is very interesting the use of opposites: "...It is very interesting the use of opposites: "best Disgrace" = very good disgrace. For sure the word "disgrace is too strong", but in ED way I, like you, would read "Shame".<br /><br />I translate this poem and in portuguese the words became gorgeous. But surely we deal with a very difficult poem. Very hard to apprehend its meaning; very tough! A true piece of art. Antonio Zumpanohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14827624350984488798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4029797379711350813.post-49515381465698675922020-07-26T10:52:33.794-07:002020-07-26T10:52:33.794-07:00It is essential do mention the quotation of Matthe...It is essential do mention the quotation of Matthew in the bible. Without this the line becomes meaningless. Antonio Zumpanohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14827624350984488798noreply@blogger.com