We\u2019ll start with translating the poem into a language of your own choice. Being\u00a0fluent in English you may be inclined to skip this first step, but that is exactly\u00a0what Judith Farr did by approaching this poem as a native speaker. Considering\u00a0the result, there is absolutely no harm in trying the basics first, and to rewrite\u00a0the poem into less poetical English at the very least. And don\u2019t expect me to do\u00a0the job for you, because explaining a poem is like explaining a joke : it is allowed,\u00a0provided one doesn\u2019t. But even when using the dictionary on every single word\u00a0(just my luck ; I randomly picked the Dutch one), these few lines are dealt with\u00a0in no time. No reason then to shrink back for the labour. Just take good care of\u00a0context, because a haphazard choice of synonyms is not going to be much of a\u00a0help :<\/p>\n
—<\/span><\/p>\n (untitled)<\/p>\n ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….<\/span><\/p>\n ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….<\/span><\/p>\n ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….<\/span><\/p>\n ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….<\/p>\n Apply this exercise on the remaining twenty lines as well, and this poem may\u00a0duly reveal itself, meaning and all. Just by the effort of reading it carefully.\u00a0Which, incidentally, is the name of the game in making sense of any text. If the\u00a0text makes sense to begin with, of course. Despite the lacking comma, this one\u00a0does. And you have in any case noticed that \u2018notice\u2019 is the only word that\u00a0causes some trouble (hence the mistake of JF). Picking one\u2019s choice from its\u00a0wide range of meanings triggers some pondering on the word\u2019s context, and a\u00a0change of punctuation makes a difference to that context. The punctuation\u00a0therefore makes a difference to the choice, which implies a difference of\u00a0meaning. If not for the entire poem, then at least for its opening stanza.<\/p>\n Putting this logic to the test, one better takes no chances with the context,\u00a0and provides for its poetry. Just my luck then, that, from all dictionaries, I had\u00a0to pick the one that is nobody\u2019s free random choice. But having exercised as\u00a0recommended, you will doubtlessly recognize the proper substitute for \u2018notice\u2019\u00a0better from the original poem, than I\u2019ll be ever able to rephrase it in the\u00a0language of my ancestors. The way Dickinson plays with rhyme, for instance,\u00a0stood no chance. No harm done to context, fortunately, but it would be a\u00a0shame not to notice :<\/p>\n De Slang<\/b><\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0(zonder titel)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Een smalle Makker in het Gras \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Een smalle Makker in het Gras The Grass divides as with a Comb \u2014 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Het Gras dat scheidt als met een Kam \u2014 The four lines of interest do readily call a snake to mind. And if a comparison\u00a0of punctuation fails make you think otherwise, you are still on equal terms with\u00a0the leading experts. The sequel is, of course, not really designed to consider\u00a0another protagonist. Not with a copperhead to start suddenly away from your\u00a0feet. And to beat the experts at their own game, we\u2019ll have to resort to\u00a0another basic exercise in careful reading. One that my old school had labelled\u00a0\u2018text explanation\u2019. Those days it used to be a questionary, which included the\u00a0occasional give-away like \u2018who rides occasionally in the grass?\u2019<\/p>\n answer :\u00a0…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….<\/span><\/p>\n One cannot pen down the unauthorized title, without giving the matter a second\u00a0thought. And this second thought alone, is reason enough to question the title\u2019s\u00a0authority. No matter how obvious the choice seems to be.\u00a0\u2018Question everything\u2019, is in science the basic state of mind. When Literature\u00a0Studies offers an explanation for Dickinson\u2019s choice of words that crushes\u00a0doubt\u2019s head, it therefore cannot be accepted with due grace :<\/p>\n \u2018Rides\u2019 sounds\u00a0like \u2018glides\u2019 and \u2018writhes\u2019 but gives the impression that the snake is being\u00a0carried, or that it is floating along. In addition, the word can also mean\u00a0torment, harass, or tease, and this definition fits the snake\u2019s reputation as a\u00a0sly tempter.<\/p>\n author unknown<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Instead, we notice that \u2018occasionally\u2019 does not fit in with this\u00a0explanation ; snakes are not really known for changes of attitude. And with\u00a0that behavioral anomaly in mind, the opening line of that same anonymous explanation reads as a downright contradiction : \u201cIn the opening quatrain,\u00a0Dickinson cleverly disguises the subject of the poem, a snake.\u201d<\/p>\n If Dickinson really disguises the poem\u2019s subject in a clever way, rather than\u00a0transparently, the subject is disguised AS a snake. And a poem that in\u00a0fact deals with a narrow fellow who occasionally crosses the meadow by horse,\u00a0leaves not much of a choice in likely candidates. You may therefore, instead of\u00a0the title, have written a certain name on the dotted line. In which case you have\u00a0declared the snake a metaphor. As a result, the inserted comma behind \u2018did\u00a0you not\u2019 at the instant alters the meaning of the entire poem. Which it does by\u00a0erasing the metaphor. Without this comma the couplet may prove itself a\u00a0nasty tongue twister, but at least one that places its seven final words against\u00a0the encounter : \u2018only if you have never met him, you\u2019ll notice suddenly that the\u00a0moment has come.\u2019 Not quite a remark that is often made about copperheads.<\/p>\n He likes a Boggy Acre \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Hij blieft een Zompig Maailand Have passed, I thought, a Whip lash \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Op pad, dacht ik, een Zweepkoord The copperhead favours a pasture that humans tend to avoid if their footwear\u00a0is no good. Which evokes in the close ecounter at the poem\u2019s centre a powerful\u00a0image of total surprise.<\/p>\n Several of Nature’s People \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Van de Natuur zo menig Landvolk But never met this Fellow, \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Maar nimmer trof die Makker, One explanation has the final line to express a sense of nakedness (of the leg =\u00a0barefoot) against the imminent danger (of a bite). An interpretation that is\u00a0fully covered by my translation\u2019s \u2018Been\u2019 (= leg ; = bone). But definitely not by\u00a0an English dictionary that is worth calling so. The anonymous scholar who\u00a0crushed doubt\u2019s head, on the other hand, is no man\u2019s fool :<\/p>\n \u201cThe final line\u00a0contains a brilliant metaphor, for the term \u2018Zero at the Bone\u2019 describes both\u00a0bone-chilling terror and absolute nothingness.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n This is as good as an expert can get. But still, the \u2018metaphor\u2019 rather is a well\u00a0phrased riddle. By all means brilliant, but to appreciate the final line\u2019s quality in\u00a0full, it must be read in the light of the real metaphor. Then it will evoke an\u00a0image that can\u2019t be seen without having noticed this metaphor. And the\u00a0moment this image appears, you will have to admit that the added comma\u00a0alters the meaning of the entire poem.<\/p>\n Which has to be demonstrated.<\/p>\n —<\/span><\/p>\n —<\/span><\/p>\n Go to part 2<\/a> – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –<\/span> back to the previous chapter<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We\u2019ll start with translating the poem into a language of your own choice. Being\u00a0fluent in English you may be inclined to skip this first step, but that is exactly\u00a0what Judith Farr did by approaching this poem as a native speaker. … Continue reading
\nBij gelegenheid soms rijdt \u2014 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Bij gelegenheid soms rijdt \u2014
\nU trof Hem misschien \u2014 was het niet, \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0U trof Hem misschien \u2014 was het niet
\nZijn ………… plotsklaps is. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Zijn ………… plotsklaps is \u2014<\/span><\/p>\n
\nA spotted shaft is seen \u2014 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Toont een gevlekte schacht\u00a0\u2014
\nAnd then it closes at your feet \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0En sluit zich dan weer aan uw voet
\nAnd opens further on \u2014 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0En opent verderop \u2014<\/span><\/p>\n\n
\nA Floor too cool for Corn \u2014 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Een Vloer te kil voor Graan \u2014
\nYet when a Boy, and Barefoot \u2014 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Maar als een Joch, en Blootsvoets \u2014
\nI more than once at Noon \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Zag \u2018k meer dan eens rond Twaalf\u00a0\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n
\nUnbraiding in the Sun \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Ontvlechtend in de Zon
\nWhen stooping to secure it \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Dan bukkend om \u2018t te pakken
\nIt wrinkled and was gone \u2014 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Het plooide en was weg \u2014<\/span><\/p>\n
\nI know, and they know me \u2014 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Ken ik, en zij ook mij \u2014
\nI feel for them a transport \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Ik voel voor hen een zondvloed
\nOf cordiality \u2014 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Van warme hart\u2019lijkheid \u2014<\/span><\/p>\n
\nAttended, or alone \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Met oppas, of alleen
\nWithout a tighter breathing \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Zonder beklemde adem
\nAnd Zero at the Bone \u2014 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0En Noppes aan het Been \u2014
\n<\/span><\/p>\n\n