Level has so many meanings. I was thinking of John the Baptist"...make straight the way". And then there is starting/being the same. And how prophetic to today leveling =destroying
I am so glad that you highlighted that line because I see that Day is also capitalized and I wonder if Day is another way of her saying the present tense, or "this day." Jesus constantly comes to us, no matter in what state we are in. The cold desolation of our dark winter days...
The road to Bethlehem being leveled feels a little too contemporary, given current events.
But overall, the way Dickinson can hover on the exact line between faith and doubt comes through so masterfully in this poem - which was a new discovery for me. Thank you!
Yes, what a point ... about Bethlehem. Of course, she would not have known of all our present struggles -- and yet that gyre of Yeatsian Second Coming. The Middle East is a place of incredible significance from a historical perspective but also notable as a metaphor for aspects of spirituality. Her words approach truth and faith with an obliqueness that is still highly effective.
Level has so many meanings. I was thinking of John the Baptist"...make straight the way". And then there is starting/being the same. And how prophetic to today leveling =destroying
That’s a great connection—John the Baptist. I had not thought of that. This is such a short poem, yet so much to talk about.
"to have come so far so cold" stuck out to me. Something tells me I'm going to ponder this for a while...
I am so glad that you highlighted that line because I see that Day is also capitalized and I wonder if Day is another way of her saying the present tense, or "this day." Jesus constantly comes to us, no matter in what state we are in. The cold desolation of our dark winter days...
The road to Bethlehem being leveled feels a little too contemporary, given current events.
But overall, the way Dickinson can hover on the exact line between faith and doubt comes through so masterfully in this poem - which was a new discovery for me. Thank you!
Yes, what a point ... about Bethlehem. Of course, she would not have known of all our present struggles -- and yet that gyre of Yeatsian Second Coming. The Middle East is a place of incredible significance from a historical perspective but also notable as a metaphor for aspects of spirituality. Her words approach truth and faith with an obliqueness that is still highly effective.