Where Thou art — that — is Home

Where Thou art — that — is Home
Cashmere — or Calvary — the same —
Degree — or Shame —
I scarce esteem Location's Name —
So I may Come —

What Thou dost — is Delight —
Bondage as Play — be sweet —
Imprisonment — Content —
And Sentence — Sacrament —
Just We two — meet —

Where Thou art not — is Woe —
Tho' Bands of Spices — row —
What Thou dost not — Despair —
Tho' Gabriel — praise me — Sire —


     -F749, J725, fascicle 36, 1863


David Preest points out that this poem has a tightly organized structure: "‘Where Thou art’ is described in five lines, and then ‘What thou dost’ in five lines. In the contrasting last stanza ‘Where thou art not’ and ‘What thou dost not’ get two lines each.” It is fascinating to see the structures Dickinson invented upon which to hang her thoughts. I also like the subtle distinction Dickinson makes in this poem between Being (Thou art) and Doing (Thou dost).

The poem begins,

Where Thou art — that — is Home
Cashmere — or Calvary — the same —

The word Calvary brings the idea of Christ into this poem, though that doesn’t mean it is about Christ, as some commentators insist. You would think so, perhaps, at first, because of those Thous, and the appearance of Gabriel at the end, but Dickinson very often conflates worldly love with religious symbolism, and I suspect this poem was written about a lover. Besides, if this poem was about Christ, then I don't think cashmere OR Calvary would be equated as the same. It would be Calvary all the way.

The juxtapositions of pairs are intriguing in this poem. There is much that could be made of Cashmere vs. Calvary. Cashmere is a tactile luxury. Calvary represents torture upon a cross. The juxtaposition of the two invokes not only rich vs. poor, but also pleasure vs. pain, and, ultimately, selfishness vs. selflessness. The two would normally be set up against each other like so, but here they are both summarily dismissed. What does any of it matter, the poet says, as long as “Thou” art near?

               — the same —

Degree — or Shame —

“Degree” means honor, according to the Dickinson lexicon. Honor is usually set against shame, but again, they are seen as one and the same in the realm of love.

I scarce esteem Location's Name —
So I may Come —

In fact, location itself is suspect. I can come to you wherever, says the poet. Home, it would seem, is where the proverbial heart is, but the way Dickinson puts this gives us the added sense that in the naming of location and the placing of self in said location, there is something taken away from connection.

Naming your location is a way of saying I am “here,” which automatically places the other “there.” To do away with this distance is the goal. To “come,” one must forget location.

There are more thought-provoking juxtapositions in the second stanza, imprisonment vs. contentment, sentence vs. sacrament, but the most intriguing one is

Bondage as Play — be sweet —

There is a possible suggestion of sexuality in this poem, with the line “I may come” and the Shakespearean idea of “Doing,” as in, doing the sexual act. So this line seems like it could have that vibe in it too. Seeing a sexual connotation here may just be a case of interpreting with modern eyes, but “bondage as play” is such an odd turn of phrase that it’s hard not to see this possibility here. There is another possibly sexual allusion near the end of the poem with the reference to the angel Gabriel, but I'll discuss that when we get to it. 

Imprisonment (is)— Content —
And Sentence — Sacrament —
Just We two — meet —

After the power dynamics of bondage and sentencing have been brought up, this final line of the second stanza makes me think that there may be a double meaning to “meet.” Just we two meet together, but also, just we two are “meet,” as in “proper” or “suitable.” In other words, these dynamics work for us, they are proper in the context of our relationship. “Meet” here rhymes, after all, with “Sweet”.

Where Thou art not — is Woe —
Tho' Bands of Spices — row —

I was intrigued by the idea of bands of spices rowing. I picture spices banded up together in boats and rowed to shore for trade across continents. This, like cashmere earlier in the poem, evokes exotic sensual pleasure.

Any other ideas, dear reader, about what "Bands of Spices — row —" might mean?

What Thou dost not — Despair —

Tho' Gabriel — praise me — Sire —

Gabriel praising the poet evokes Luke 1:26, when the angel Gabriel praises Mary and tells her she is pregnant with Christ. “And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.”

(It’s worth mentioning that both this poem and the poem previous to this one in Fascicle 36 make reference to the two most common prayers of Catholicism, The Lord’s Prayer, which is referenced in F748 and The Hail Mary in this one.)

The last two lines of this poem may also be taken in a sexual way. What you do not do (to me) causes me despair, even if Gabriel tells me that, though a virgin, I’ve become pregnant with Christ. That may be an interpretive stretch but the suggestion is there.

The heightened language of “Thou art” and “bands of spices” and “Sire” gives this poem a tone of seriousness, but it is also playful; Bondage as Play. There is a tone of deep reverence and yet it also is a bit naughty. In other words you can find in this poem both "Degree — or Shame —".

So which is it? Where can you locate this poem, this poet? You don't. You can't. You just enter it. 

I scarce esteem Location's Name —
So I may Come —

      -/)dam Wade l)eGraff

Tho' Bands of Spices — row —

P.S. The focus on being and doing in this poem reminded me of this great Kurt Vonnegut quote:

“To be is to do - Socrates

To do is to be - Sartre

Do Be Do Be Do - Sinatra”