Mimu Bunnylin #488
April 21st, 2005
English Composition II
Group 1-1
As a non-expert in poetic analysis, I can only offer a very limited perspective to one of Emily Dickinson's more famous poems: Wild Nights. Fortunately poetry is meant to be felt rather than understood so the loss is negligible. Like many of Dickinson's poems are reputed to be, this one is also short and seemingly simple, but with treacherous undercurrents of complexity for the wily observer. To me the theme of the poem seems simply to be active longing.
The poem starts with an excited call for wild nights. It can not refer to a loved one currently present, as the second line has a conditional, "were I with thee". If the two were together, the persona would make them stay up all nights for purposes of luxury. The online resources of Lilia Melani, a department of English, suggest the right meaning is lust and voluptuousness in the gratification of appetite, as per an 1844 dictionary. While this is quite possible, I would prefer to avoid modern oversexed interpretation; for example "moor in thee" at the poem's end does not have to be taken absolutely literally. Instead of "in", emphasizing "moor" suggests just resting beside "thee". Likewise, the wildness and luxury could mean anything from dancing down a moonlit beach to enjoying strawberries with cream.
The second stanza is more mysterious. Is the "heart in port" necessarily the persona's? I think not, at the moment. The end makes it clear the persona is not at port yet, and greatly longs for it. When the port is reached, the harsh winds of the world will become "futile" and no longer rouse such dread in any heart. The lines about the compass and the chart could be interpreted in two ways: either they are simply useless to one not out in the seas and hence can be "done [away] with", or they are used to find the port and will so become "done with". The latter interpretation supports my view.
The third stanza is the hardest, though. The clear part is that the persona is rowing and wishes to come to a safe port at "thee". "Rowing" might further indicate being alone, as a small rowboat contrasting to a larger, crewed sailing ship. Perhaps the persona is thinking ahead of being at port, and imagines the awaiting happiness as "rowing in Eden", but then notices the boat is still at sea. The poem's closing is like a hopeful sigh: if only I was there already!
So we have a persona seeking safe mooring, wistfully dreaming of the wild luxury that would surely ensue. Hopes and dreams fortify anyone's resolve when the path to a goal is difficult. And what could be the port so greatly longed for? How about matrimony, at times compared to a port? Eden was, among other things, the site of the first marriage. Marriage gives protection from wicked winds, there would be no need to look further once one is reached, and it comes with an optimistic promise of all the wild nights one could want.
Work Cited:
"Wild Nights! Wild Nights!" Lilia Melani. January 25th, 2003. academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/wild.html (17 Apr 2005)