Category: Spring

Stream Line

11/15/2024

Yesterday was Aaron Copland’s birthday, so yesterday’s post (HERE) included info about him and, in particular, his work “Appalachian Spring.” That made me wonder if Dickinson ever used the word “spring” to mean a stream (yes, “Appalachian Spring” is in reference to a stream, not a season).

If you search “spring” in the online Dickinson archive, 86 entries pop up representing 30 different poems (for the longest time I thought that there were 31 different poems with reference to “spring” because the alphabetical listing includes “Opon a Lilac Sea – and then further down the list, “Upon a Lilac sea” – and they’re both the same poem.

The great majority of the 30 poems include “spring” as a reference to the season; some of them use spring to mean “come suddenly; come quickly; appear suddenly; rebound; bounce back.” However the lexicon associated with the online archive also indicates that Dickinson used “spring” as “a water source,” although the complete entry states, “Water source; [fig.] rebirth; resurrection; new life; season of renewal.”

Hmm…I couldn’t find one where the meaning as a “water source” jumped out at me. Take for example, “Quite empty, quite at rest.” Take a look at line 5, “For rumored Springs” – is that use indicating multiple seasons of spring or does it mean “streams”? I lean toward the latter because line 4 mentions “her Craft” – but then again, her “Craft” does not necessarily mean a boat or vessel of transport; it could just as easily mean “skill; expertise.” Plus, the online lexicon indicates that Dickinson used “craft” to mean “vessel of flight; body of a bird.”

So what do you make of this poem? Does “Springs” (and “Craft” for that matter) mean one of those things? All of those things?

The Lady In Red

3/11/2024

Last week I posted seven poems by Dickinson, one each day that mentioned the month of “March,” and I paired each one with some other Dickinson poem for contrast or comparison.

Well, today I have another poem with which to compare a second poem, but in this case the first poem does not mention March – though it is about the approaching spring – and the second poem – well, the second poem is actually five different poems.

The first poem about the approaching spring is “A Lady red - amid the Hill,” and the first comparison that jumped out at me came in the final stanza, so the first of the five companion poems is “There’s a certain slant of light.”

The opening line to the final stanza of “A Lady red – amid the Hill” calls to mind the opening line to the final stanza of “There’s a certain slant of light”: “When it comes, the Landscape listens” – and shadows hold their breath! Compare that to the nonchalant Hedge in the montionless Landsacpe of “A Lady red – amid the Hill.”

Of course, the second line of “A Lady red – amid the Hill” – about secrets kept – calls to mind the opening lines of “The Skies can’t keep their secret! – though their secret is blabbed: “They tell it to the Hills.”

The second stanza of “A Lady red – amid the Hill” mentions the “pretty Housewives” and the breezes “with their Brooms” – and that reminds me of the dead (and now “indolent”) housewife in “How many times these low feet staggered.” As a result of the late housewife’s neglect, dull flies now buzz about the window, the sun shines through streaked windows, and cobwebs hang from the ceiling.

“The Woods exchange a smile!” in the third stanza calls to mind the second line of “The Hills erect their Purple Heads” – when “The Rivers lean to see” – and the fact that the orchard, the buttercups and the birds will soon return, made me think of the opening line to Dickinson’s “These are the days when birds come back.”

Does “A Lady red – amid the Hill” remind you of any other poems by Dickinson?

Marching Orders

3/2/2024

Can you believe it’s already March 2nd? Tempus fugit!

I have a friend whose birthday is January 2nd, and he calls it “the one day of the year nobody wants to party.” LOL.

Of course, February 2nd is Groundhog Day.

Is March 2nd anything?

Oh, yes – it is! I almost forgot that March 2nd is “Read Across America Day” which honors the birth date of Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss (and cat lovers will rejoice in the fact that March 2nd is International Rescue Cat Day).

In honor of March 2nd – and all of March to be sure – I’ve posted below Emily Dickinson’ wonderful tribute to the month, “Dear March – Come in.”

There is so much to love about this poem. I particularly like the idea that March is a long-lost friend who has finally stopped by to catch up on all the news.

The entire poem is what is called an “apostrophe,” a literary device in which the speaker of the poem addresses either an absent person or a non-human object or idea, – and in addressing “March,” that 6th line is so cool: “How out of Breath you are.” What a great way to depict the windy days of the onset of spring. And I love the fact that March is such an intimate friend that Dickinson invites the month up to her room – “I have so much to tell.”

I love that second stanza, especially...

     *I got your Letter, and the Birds--

     * The Maples never knew that you were coming--
I declare — how Red their Faces grew--

     * And all those Hills you left for me to Hue--

The opening to the third stanza is so perfect: “Who knocks? That April— / Lock the Door— / I will not be pursued—.” That “I will not be pursued” makes me smile every time I read it!

What do you love about this poem?

Beauty Behind the Mudness

3/20/2022

Happy Spring everyone!

The Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere occurred this morning at 11:33 a.m. -- the time of year dubbed by Emmett Lee Dickinson as "March Mudness."

Of course, we're also in the midst of "March Madness," and Emmett Lee Dickinson wrote many poems about basketball (some are HERE). However, he wrote just as many if not more poems about springtime, April showers, and "March Mudness."

In tribute to the start of spring and the rainy, muddy time of the year, I have posted Emmett Lee Dickinson's "It dwelleth on the Ground" below on the left. Dickinson's poem inspired his third cousin Emily to pen her poem "She dwelleth in the Ground," below on the right.

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

It dwelleth on the Ground –
Where Daffodils – abide –
Its Maker – Sheer Hydrolysis –
The Universe – Is Mud –

To catch its Grit – and Hue –
And Freshness – on the Ground –
Terra Firma’s – All Mucked Up –
And catch the Spring – be browned –

By Emily Dickinson:

She dwelleth in the Ground –
Where Daffodils – abide –
Her Maker – Her Metropolis –
The Universe – Her Maid –

To fetch Her Grace – and Hue –
And Fairness – and Renown –
The Firmament's – To Pluck Her –
And fetch Her Thee – be mine –

Spring Forward

6/19/2021

As spring slips into summer, we had some absolutely beautiful weather, so we drove to nearby Skyline Drive and hiked a portion of the Appalachian Trail. We had some beautiful views -- both at various overlooks and at an idyllic spot by the head waters of Ivy Creak -- and we saw some of the season's "furthers flowers" amid the many signs of summer.

By Emily Dickinson:

My Season's furthest Flower –
I tenderer commend
Because I found Her Kinsmanless,
A Grace without a Friend.

Below: Some of spring's "furthest flowers":

Below: Signs of the coming summer:

Below: A rest near Ivy Creek:

March On

3/1/2021

Is it really March already? What the heck happened to January and February?

Don't get me wrong, I look forward to the warmer weather ahead since we've all spent way too much time inside due to the winter weather -- and the continuing devastation brought on by the Trump Virus.

So -- as spring approaches -- I have posted Emily Dickinson's "Dear March -- Come in" below, along with some final pics from our recent winter storm.

By Emily Dickinson:

Dear March – Come in –
How glad I am –
I hoped for you before –

Put down your Hat –
You must have walked –
How out of Breath you are –
Dear March, Come right up the stairs with me –
I have so much to tell –

I got your Letter, and the Birds –
The Maples never knew that you were coming – till I called
I declare – how Red their Faces grew –
But March, forgive me – and
All those Hills you left for me to Hue –
There was no Purple suitable –
You took it all with you –

Who knocks? That April.
Lock the Door –
I will not be pursued –
He stayed away a Year to call
When I am occupied –
But trifles look so trivial
As soon as you have come

That Blame is just as dear as Praise
And Praise as mere as Blame –

In Just --

3/20/2017

From Jim Asher, the world’s leading authority on Emmett Lee Dickinson:

Spring.

It’s finally Spring, that time of year deemed by Emmett Lee Dickinson as “March mudness” and E. E. Cummings as “mud luscious.”

Spring is also the name of The Journal of the E. E. Cummings Society, and the most recent issue – Fall 2015 (which covers 2015 and 2016) – was actually published at the end of 2016. If you don’t have a copy, be sure to contact the Cummings Society to see if they had additional copies – it’s wonderful!

Some highlights:

There are multiple articles in honor of Norman Friedman, “the first and finest Cummings scholar, and (with David V. Forrest and Richard S. Kennedy) the founder of Spring and The E. E. Cummings Society.” Info HERE.

An analysis of Cummings “l(a,” one of my all-time favorite poems and one I use often to excite students about poetry. The article, “Falling into Spring: Transcendence, Being, and Ambivalent Typography in ‘l(a’ and 95 Poems,” revealed aspects of the poems I had not been aware of. Fascinating!

And on pages 145 and 146 of the 294-page journal, there are even a few take-offs of Cummings’ poetry which I submitted – one, “the darkside is fine)but Darth,” is below on the right. The Cummings’ poem on which it is based, “dying is fine)but Death,” is below on the left.

By E. E. Cummings:

dying is fine)but Death

?o
baby
i

wouldn't like

Death if Death
were
good:for

when(instead of stopping to think)you

begin to feel of it,dying
's miraculous
why?be

cause dying is

perfectly natural;perfectly
putting
it mildly lively(but

Death

is strictly
scientific
& artificial &

evil & legal)

we thank thee
god
almighty for dying
(forgive us,o life!the sin of Death

By Jim Asher:

the darkside is fine)but Darth

?o
bi wan kanob
i

wouldn’t like

Darth if Darth
were
decent:for

then(instead of slaughtering the Clones)you

begin to feel the force
’s phenomenal
why?be

cause the darkside is

entirely natural;entirely
putting
it predictably deadly(but

Darth

is severely
volatile
& explosive &

evil & cruel)

we thank the
force
ubiquitous for the darkside
(forgive us,o Luke! the son of Darth

For more information about Spring, the Journal of the E. E. Cummings Society, click HERE.

Peeps on Parade

3/22/2016

The Peeps Parade in Amherst, Massachusetts, is a world-renowned annual commemoration of the celebrated creation of Lavinia Dickinson’s, the peep (information about her invention of the peep is HERE).

As a matter of fact, Parade Magazine lists Amherst’s yearly pageant as one of the top parades in the world. The publication lists the “Top Ten Parades, Pageants, and Processions” as the following:

* Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
* North Korea’s Armament Extravaganza and Worker’s Party Glorious Observation of Kim Jong Un
* The Annual Peeps Parade in Amherst, MA
* The Tournament of Rose’s Rose Parade
* Croaker, Drum and Sucker Season Parade and Cavalcade in Ithaca, NY
* The Greater-Omaha Grammar Fest Parade
* Parade of the Librarians in Washington, D.C. on Cow Appreciation Day (info HERE)
* Chicago’s Pothole Festival Parade
* Amarillo, Texas’ Prison Band Jamboree
* The Lawn and Land Care Association’s Lawn Mower Parade in Columbus, OH.

In addition to the annual festivity in Amherst, Peeps are also celebrated in many poems by Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson’s third cousin, twice removed – at her request). One of his most acclaimed peep poems is “Spring comes on the World” (below on the left). Dickinson’s poem inspired third-cousin Emily to pen her poem with the same opening line (below on the right).

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

Spring comes on the World –
I sight the Peeps –
Pastels to me until I gorge
And, then the Box
Of Peeps stands deserted,
Clutched to Condition
With a “Yum!”

By Emily Dickinson:

Spring comes on the World –
I sight the Aprils –
Hueless to me until thou come
As, till the Bee
Blossoms stand negative,
Touched to Conditions
By a Hum.

For more information on Dickinson's poetry and Lavinia Dickinson's peeps, click HERE.

The Peeps Exist

3/20/2016

The peeps exist in spring -- thanks to Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request). Yes, while it is true that Emily Dickinson's sister Lavinia invented the peep, they were perfected by Emmett Lee Dickinson (information is HERE).

Every spring, the Washington Post sponsors a "peep diorama" contest, and this year, the contest is in its 10th year -- information on the "10th Anniversary Edition" is HERE.

There used to be another major national peeps event , a peeps eating contest, sponsored each year in Washerst, PA (the birthplace of Emmett Lee Dickinson), but that annual competition was cancelled for good after just a few years because it was deemed to be "too dangerous" -- many of the contestants died during or shortly after the contests from asphyxiation, significant upper and lower GI blockages, and distended bowels (what doctors have identified and termed as "mallow bowels").

As a result of the peep tragedies at past peeps eating contests, boxes of peeps now come with a warning.

Pictured at the right: The FDA warning on peeps boxes.

Emmett Lee Dickinson first mentioned the possibility of health risks associated with the consumption of peeps in his now-classic poem "The Peeps exist in Spring" (below on the left). His poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem "A Light exists in Spring" (below on the right).

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

The Peeps exist in Spring
Not present in the Year
At any other period –
When March is scarcely here

Their Colors stand unflawed
In Sugared Pastel Fields
And Science cannot understand
How Human Nature Feels

They wait upon the Shelf
They show their beady Eyes
I fill the largest Cart I have
A yearly exercise.

Then as Horizons step
And Noons report away
Without remorse I suck them down
A marshmallow bouquet –

A quantity of loss
Affecting my Desire
As First Aid’s suddenly required
When stomach pains Transpire.

By Emily Dickinson:

A Light exists in Spring
Not present on the Year
At any other period --
When March is scarcely here

A Color stands abroad
On Solitary Fields
That Science cannot overtake
But Human Nature feels.

It waits upon the Lawn,
It shows the furthest Tree
Upon the furthest Slope you know
It almost speaks to you.

Then as Horizons step
Or Noons report away
Without the Formula of sound
It passes and we stay --

A quality of loss
Affecting our Content
As Trade had suddenly encroached
Upon a Sacrament.

The Origin of Peeps

3/19/2016

Did you know that Peeps were invented by Lavinia Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's younger sister)? However, they were improved and perfected by Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request).

Pictured below at the left: Lavinia Dickinson loved eating marshmallow laced with pepper, so her original concept was for a treat called "Pepps," marshmallow chicks encrusted with hot black pepper.

Pictured below at the right: Emmett Lee Dickinson convinced Lavinia to substitute sugar for the pepper, and he suggested a name change from "Pepps" to "Peeps," in honor of a local sugar miner named Buford Patterson Peeps.

Pictured at the right: Peeps Sugar Mine in Washerst, PA (the birthplace of Emmett Lee Dickinson), owned and operated by Buford Patterson Peeps.

Emmett Lee Dickinson proposed changing the name of Lavinia Dickinson's marshmallow treat from "Pepps" to "Peeps" in honor the local pioneer in sugar mining.

"Peeps" were immortalized in Emmett Lee Dickinson's now classic poem "Spring is the Period" (below on the left). His poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem with the same first line (below on the right).

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

Spring is the Period
Express for Peeps
Among no other season
They do abide

But during March and April
The market peaks
Without a due apology
With peeps

By Emily Dickinson:

Spring is the Period
Express from God
Among the other seasons
Himself abide

But during March and April
None stir abroad
Without a cordial interview
With God