Who Court obtain within Himself

Who Court obtain within Himself
Sees every Man a King—
And Poverty of Monarchy
Is an interior thing—

No Man depose
Whom Fate Ordain—
And Who can add a Crown
To Him who doth continual
Conspire against His Own

    -Fr859, J803, Fascicle 38, 1864



The language of royalty litters Emily Dickinson's poems. Words like "King," "Monarchy" and "Crown" show up dozens and dozens of times. 

One of Dickinson’s aims seems to be to depose our idea of King and replace it with something more worthwhile. She inverts the norm and shows us in poem after poem how true royalty is something earned. 

This poem explores inner sovereignty, the idea that true wealth comes from self-mastery. Someone who has “court within Himself” is a king regardless of poverty. Conversely, someone who works “against his own” inner self cannot be given a crown and no external wealth can compensate.

Who Court obtain within Himself / Sees every Man a King—

If someone possesses their own inner royal court, which I personally take to mean cultivating both Truth (integrity) and Beauty (inner richness), then it follows that they will be able to recognize the inherent nobility in all people. Equality is rooted in inner worth, not external hierarchy. 

Being able to see every man (and woman) as King is a beautifully democratic ideal.

 
And Poverty of Monarchy / Is an interior thing—

A King may be poor inside, with an impoverished inner world and a lack of self-government. True monarchy is psychological, not material.

I think about this often. It has become apparent to me that people who have exterior wealth are often living in inner poverty, and vice versa. In my travels I've noticed there is so much more laughter and dancing in the poorer countries that I’ve been to than there are the rich ones. If you are looking beneath the surface, then the meek do, indeed, inherit the earth.

No Man depose / Whom Fate Ordain—

Your deepest Self, your inherent nature, your “Fate,” has made you sovereign. If you are rooted in this Self, then no external force can take that away. It’s the idea that inner authority is “ordained” by who you fundamentally are, not by what society grants you. No one can “depose” you then, because this kind of power is not external in the first place.

And Who can add a Crown
To Him who doth continual
Conspire against His Own

If a person constantly undermines themselves, through self-doubt, self-sabotage, guilt, shame, etc, then no “crown” can fix it. A crown (any external validation) is meaningless for someone at war with their own mind.

Dickinson’s poems comprise a masterclass of lessons in living a meaningful life. Keep court within, not without. If you don't conspire against your own mind then you will find that you won't conspire against anyone else's mind either. You will see everybody as divinely appointed.

One great thing about this poem is that it begins and ends with an echo of the sound of the word CROWN. You see it in the opening of the poem in the phrase “Court obtain,” and then the poem ends with “Conspire against his own” which is a drawing out of the sound of "Crown," as if hidden with the sound of the word "CROWN" is the idea: “ConspiRe against His OWN.”

Emily Dickinson is King.

     -/)dam Wade l)eGraff

Hailee Steinfeld playing Emily Dickinson. 

The crown of flowers is a nice touch.