Baby
Teach
Him – When He makes the names –
Such
an one – to say –
On
his babbling – Berry – lips –
As
should sound – to me –
Were
my Ear – as near his nest –
As
my thought
– today –
As
should sound –
"Forbid
us not" –
Some
like "Emily."
F198
(1861) 227
A
very sweet poem Dickinson sent to Samuel Bowles and his wife after the birth of their son Charles.
The syntax is all askew so the poem bears a few readings to get it straight.
There’s also a breathless quality with all the dashes and interjections. The
poet makes two points: My thought is very near to that baby today (“as near as
his nest”);and “ Please teach him to say “Emily” (or something like it).
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Mother giving Scotts to babbling baby. Yum! |
I
like the “babbling – Berry – lips” because it’s both descriptive and charming as well as alliterative and
catching the babbling sound of babies. Dickinson takes a baby’s point of view
for a moment when she writes “Forbid us not.” The quote comes from the New
Testament when Jesus tells a group of people to let the little children come
close to him and “forbid them not.” I think she is saying “Oh don’t forbid that your baby and I
be close.” This poem is one of the very few that Dickinson gave a title to.
what does a thought being near to the baby symbolise?
ReplyDeleteI think it's just descriptive. If the poem's speaker were as near to the baby as her thoughts are (she's thinking of him a lot), then the speaker would be able to hear what the baby is babbling (hopefully the poet's name, 'Emily').
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