Is Bliss then, such Abyss,
I must not put my foot amiss
For fear I spoil my shoe?
I'd rather suit my foot
Than save my Boot—
For yet to buy another Pair
Is possible,
At any store—
But Bliss, is sold just once.
The Patent lost
None buy it any more—
Say, Foot, decide the point—
The Lady cross, or not?
Verdict for Boot!
F371
(1862) 340
My first reading of this poem finds it considering the pros and cons of virginity. On the one hand the
poet expects that making love with her beloved would be blissful. It would
certainly please her body, represented here by the foot. On the other hand, for
an unmarried woman (in 1860s New England) to have extra-marital sex would be
for her to step into the “Abyss” of a blackened reputation. The social regard,
the woman’s reputation, are the shoe that protect the foot.
I’m not convinced of this
interpretation, however. Boots can be bought “At any store,” and this isn’t
quite true of reputations. If you ruin your reputation you can’t just trot out
and get another, although over time reputations can be repaired. Sins can be
forgiven. And maybe churches are what’s meant by “store.” The woman who
indulges her bliss can indeed go to church and have her ‘sin’ forgiven.
![]() |
Verdict for Boot! 1868 Victorian boots |
What she cannot do, however,
is have her virginity back. That “Bliss, is sold just once.” In a bit of a dig
towards conventional values and marriage, Dickinson adds that no one would “buy
it any more,” suggesting that no one would marry a deflowered woman.
Ultimately, the speaker leaves
it up to her body / foot. “Decide the point,” she demands of it. “Cross, or
not?” The foot decides in favor of the boot, despite the bliss that awaits it.
It’s a sensible choice, one
mirroring Dickinson’s withdrawal from the world. With every bliss there is an
abyss (and how handy that the two polar opposites rhyme!), and if you aim to
devote your life to poetry, to writing for hours in your room; and also to
caring for mother and father, garden and dog, then perhaps even the foot will
defer to the boot.
The
tone of the poem is cheerfully pragmatic. What’s amazing to me is the wide
range of tones over the last ten poems: Gothic romantic horror, cute
description of a cat, love poetry, theological questionings, riddles,
bitterness, and cockiness. What a year!
Thank you for the wonderful blog.
ReplyDeleteHah! Great interpretation, the feminist ED, say, foot, decide the point: my body MY body will decide. What sovereignty!
ReplyDeleteWhat's your (anyone's) understanding of what the Lady of 2nd last line refers to? Lady Virtue? The seller of the first boot?
ReplyDeleteThe speaker herself. It sounds a lot better in the poem, is a bit more droll and vernacular, than if it were written, "Should I cross or not".
DeleteIndeed, and thanks. Between asking my ? and checking back I read the poem aloud and saw what you say immediately.
ReplyDelete