Despair’s advantage is achieved

Despair’s advantage is achieved
By suffering - Despair -
To be assisted of Reverse
One must Reverse have bore -

The Worthiness of Suffering like
The Worthiness of Death
Is ascertained by tasting -
As can no other Mouth

Of Savors - make me conscious -

As did ourselves partake -
Affliction feels impalpable
Until Ourselves are struck -


       -Fr854, J799, Fascicle 38, 1864


Here is the last of the four commentaries for Prowling Bee written by Anthony Madrid. Anthony is a poet and critic and wrote the introduction for Face to Face, by Martha Dickinson, which is an account of Martha (Mattie) Dickinson growing up with her favorite Aunt, Emily. 

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The meaning is: You cannot benefit from another person’s death or despair. Those things have to be yours, if you’re to learn from them or whatever. If you’re to get their benefit.

Part of Emily Elizabeth’s strength is she thinks that suffering and despair and death are all worthy. To be “struck” is not entirely bad. She compares it to a good flavor.

The philosopher David Hume liked to use the taste of pineapple as an example of something one must know for oneself. He says, in the Treatise on Human Nature, that no amount of verbal description will get you anywhere near the sensation of pineapple. If you wanna know, you have to taste. — And, of course, he’s saying many, many things are like this.

Not saying Dickinson had read Hume. She never gave a damn about 18th-century literature; her thing was Shakespeare. And Shakespeare loves to have his characters say “Don’t try to advise me, unless you’ve been there.” That’s not the same concept as the Dickinson, but it’s related.

Anything deep—you have to know at first hand.

Anthony Madrid