Review of “The Night Was Wide, and Furnished Scant” (1862/1863)
Emily Dickinson (writer).
Read in 2021.
Very pretty and unusually sweet for Dickinson, but I wonder whether the rate of compression truly improves the effect. The last few lines are:
How pleasanter — said she
Unto the Sofa opposite
The Sleet — than May, no Thee
I take this to mean “She said to her husband, ‘Being here with you this winter is better than being alone in summer.’” The metre and concretion add colour, of course, but it’s so laboured.