Did Emily Dickinson ever visit the beach?
I posed that question yesterday when I mentioned Marta McDowells book “Emily Dickinson’s Gardening Life: The Plants and Places That Inspired the Iconic Poet,” and I shared the poem “My Garden – like the Beach.”
While it is possible that Dickinson did visit a beach – perhaps on a visit to Boston? – there is no evidence to suggest that she did. Dickinson did visit Washington, D.C., where she boated down the Potomac River to Mount Vernon, and there are sandy beaches along that river – though no beating waves, sea shells, sea birds, etc. – so there is that. ; )
However, even if she didn't see the ocean firsthand, she certainly knew about it through her reading and imagination, using it as a recurring theme and metaphor in her poetry.
Yesterday I mentioned she used the word “beach” in one poem. She also used the word “sea” in as many as 111 different poems (depending upon which volume of her poetry that you have), she used “ocean” in nine different poems, and she used the word “shore” in as many as seventeen different poems.
I posed that question yesterday when I mentioned Marta McDowells book “Emily Dickinson’s Gardening Life: The Plants and Places That Inspired the Iconic Poet,” and I shared the poem “My Garden – like the Beach.”
While it is possible that Dickinson did visit a beach – perhaps on a visit to Boston? – there is no evidence to suggest that she did. Dickinson did visit Washington, D.C., where she boated down the Potomac River to Mount Vernon, and there are sandy beaches along that river – though no beating waves, sea shells, sea birds, etc. – so there is that. ; )
However, even if she didn't see the ocean firsthand, she certainly knew about it through her reading and imagination, using it as a recurring theme and metaphor in her poetry.
Yesterday I mentioned she used the word “beach” in one poem. She also used the word “sea” in as many as 111 different poems (depending upon which volume of her poetry that you have), she used “ocean” in nine different poems, and she used the word “shore” in as many as seventeen different poems.
| Of course, there are other poems with imagery of the sea and shore where she never used any of those words – like the poem “Adrift,” a favorite poem of mine. And check out this wonderful poem, “I started Early – Took my Dog,” where she transformed the sea into a house with a basement (with mermaids) and attic (filled with frigates). The poem is HERE. And a nice article about the poem is HERE. |  |
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