Themselves—go out—
The Wicks they stimulate—
If vital Light
Inhere as do the Suns—
Each Age a Lens
Disseminating their
Circumference—
-F930, J883, Sheet 15, 1865
This poem clues us into the fact that Dickinson thought about the legacy of her poetry. In the last few commentaries on Prowling Bee, I've been thinking about the uncanny private/public double-nature of Dickinson’s poetry. This poem shows us the public side of that face.
The vocation of poet is one Dickinson took quite seriously. And what is it that poets are charged to do?
The Poets light but Lamps—
Themselves—go out—
Poets light the Lamps of readers long after they themselves are gone. These poems help illuminate the Truth for us.
Two of my favorite Dickinson poems are variations on this theme. The first is F802.
The spry Arms of the Wind
If I could crawl between
I have an errand imminent
To an adjoining Zone—
I should not care to stop
My Process is not long
The Wind could wait without the Gate
Or stroll the Town among.
To ascertain the House
And is the soul at Home
And hold the Wick of mine to it
To light, and then return—
The Town is the people of the world, the house is yours and the candle flame of the poet has somehow made it past the “The spry arms of the wind” to reach your wick. (How does the poet do this? Through the contained fire of extremely well-made poems.)
The second one is this, F322:
Good Night—Which put the Candle out?
A jealous Zephyr—not a doubt—
Ah, friend, You little knew
How long at that celestial wick
The Angels—labored diligent—
Extinguished—now—for You!
It might have been the Light House Spark—
Some Sailor—rowing in the Dark—
Had importuned to see—
It might have been the waning Lamp
That lit the Drummer— from the Camp—
To purer Reveille—
The lamp-light of the poem is meant to help us safely row to shore, and to wake us up to “purer Reveille.” In turn, we can Light the candle of others, provided a “jealous Zephyr” doesn’t put out this flame that the Angels have labored so diligently to light for you.
The next lines depend on what "vital" refers to. Is it "wicks" or "they" (the poets)?"
The Wicks they stimulate—
If vital Light
Inhere as do the Suns—
It’s uncanny that Dickinson had this sense of her own legacy, especially considering her aversion to publishing. She seemed to foresee that her poems would one day be interpreted in various ways across the ages. Using this poem as a catalyst, a whole study could be made of the way an understanding of Dickinson’s poems has changed over time.
Each Age a Lens
Disseminating their
Circumference—
“Circumference” is one of Dickinson's favorite words, and represents a life-time of the poet's consideration. A study could also be made (and probably has been made) of looking at the many meanings of this word in Dickinson's oeuvre. She famously wrote to T.W. Higginson. “My Business is Circumference.” In this poem you get one of the possible meanings Dickinson might be hinting at in this statement. The image of the poet here is a candle shining through the lens of a lamp, illuminating the reader in its circle of light.
The Poets light but Lamps—
Themselves—go out—
Poets light the Lamps of readers long after they themselves are gone. These poems help illuminate the Truth for us.
Two of my favorite Dickinson poems are variations on this theme. The first is F802.
The spry Arms of the Wind
If I could crawl between
I have an errand imminent
To an adjoining Zone—
I should not care to stop
My Process is not long
The Wind could wait without the Gate
Or stroll the Town among.
To ascertain the House
And is the soul at Home
And hold the Wick of mine to it
To light, and then return—
The Town is the people of the world, the house is yours and the candle flame of the poet has somehow made it past the “The spry arms of the wind” to reach your wick. (How does the poet do this? Through the contained fire of extremely well-made poems.)
The second one is this, F322:
Good Night—Which put the Candle out?
A jealous Zephyr—not a doubt—
Ah, friend, You little knew
How long at that celestial wick
The Angels—labored diligent—
Extinguished—now—for You!
It might have been the Light House Spark—
Some Sailor—rowing in the Dark—
Had importuned to see—
It might have been the waning Lamp
That lit the Drummer— from the Camp—
To purer Reveille—
The lamp-light of the poem is meant to help us safely row to shore, and to wake us up to “purer Reveille.” In turn, we can Light the candle of others, provided a “jealous Zephyr” doesn’t put out this flame that the Angels have labored so diligently to light for you.
The next lines depend on what "vital" refers to. Is it "wicks" or "they" (the poets)?"
The Wicks they stimulate—
If vital Light
Inhere as do the Suns—
Its hard to say if Dickinson means that the poet's light has to be inherently vital, or if she means that the reader’s wick has to have vital light inherent within it in order to be lit. Perhaps she is saying both at once. There has to be Light inherent in both the poet and the reader for the transfer to take place. You have to keep your wick flammable.
Each Age a Lens
As long as poetry has this inherent vital “light,” then each age can read it through their own unique lens. I think of Shakespeare here, and maybe Dickinson was thinking of him too. The way we interpret Shakespeare has much to do with the age we are living in. We read Shakespeare differently in 2026 than we did in 1856. “Age” can also refer to how old we are. We also read Shakespeare differently at 60 than we did at 20. The most important thing is not the subjective angle of the perception, so much as the vital light inherent in the work. If that Light is there, then poetry will stand up to countless interpretations.
Each Age a Lens
As long as poetry has this inherent vital “light,” then each age can read it through their own unique lens. I think of Shakespeare here, and maybe Dickinson was thinking of him too. The way we interpret Shakespeare has much to do with the age we are living in. We read Shakespeare differently in 2026 than we did in 1856. “Age” can also refer to how old we are. We also read Shakespeare differently at 60 than we did at 20. The most important thing is not the subjective angle of the perception, so much as the vital light inherent in the work. If that Light is there, then poetry will stand up to countless interpretations.
It’s uncanny that Dickinson had this sense of her own legacy, especially considering her aversion to publishing. She seemed to foresee that her poems would one day be interpreted in various ways across the ages. Using this poem as a catalyst, a whole study could be made of the way an understanding of Dickinson’s poems has changed over time.
Each Age a Lens
Disseminating their
Circumference—
“Circumference” is one of Dickinson's favorite words, and represents a life-time of the poet's consideration. A study could also be made (and probably has been made) of looking at the many meanings of this word in Dickinson's oeuvre. She famously wrote to T.W. Higginson. “My Business is Circumference.” In this poem you get one of the possible meanings Dickinson might be hinting at in this statement. The image of the poet here is a candle shining through the lens of a lamp, illuminating the reader in its circle of light.
-/)dam Wade l)eGraff
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