Dickinson on Music
This is the second stanza of her poem J348:
I would not talk, like Cornets -
I’d rather be the One
Raised softly to the Ceilings -
And out, and easy on -
Through the Villages of Ether -
Myself endued Balloon
By but a lip of Metal -
The pier to my Pontoon
I must be frank with you – this did not appeal to me, it sounded too bizarre. Helen Vender, in her book Dickinson, had to take me by the hand and walk me through it.
This poem, in its entirety, is about three arts: painting, music, and poetry. To be understood, it has to be put in context, namely Keats “Ode to a Nightingale” and “Ode to a Grecian Urn.” She also mentions And Ut Pictura Poesis Is Her Name by John Ashbery, which I really should know about too – but that will have to wait for later.
Being a lover (almost an addict) of classical music I know intuitively what she means by:
Raised softly to the Ceilings -
And out, and easy on -
Through the Villages of Ether -
Music takes me to another world – and that (like all the arts) is what it is for.
Popular music seems degenerate to me, with its stark simplicity, deliberate disregard of tradition, and love of vulgarity. I loved the Beetles, when they first came out, but as that trend continued (and got louder) I lost interest in it.
But let me return to the last three lines of the poem:
Myself endued Balloon
By but a lip of Metal -
The pier to my Pontoon -
The word endued is frankly, archaic. But poets seem to feel words like this are aristocratic - definitely an acquired taste. The words Balloon and Pontoon are used because they rhyme – it is a bit of a strain to understand their meaning, but with some thought it does come through.
The main point is this: this is the kind of poetry that takes some work to understand and appreciate.
As an English major, I had to read Dickinson and liked her odd use of language. I’m sure she was well-read and one needs to be well-read to understand some of her references to other works of literature. Pop musicians try to copy their influences, but end up sounding unoriginal and most of it is uninteresting. Like you, I enjoy classical music and also understood the cornet line – but she lost me with “endued” and I’m not up on my Keats. It’s been years. The lip of metal, however, must be the cornet.