'Tis little I — could care for Pearls —
Who own the Ample sea —
Or Brooches — when the Emperor —
With Rubies — pelteth me —
Or Gold — who am the Prince of Mines —
Or Diamonds — when have I
A Diadem to fit a Dome —
Continual upon me —
F597 (1863) J466
The poet doesn't care much about Pearls, Brooches, Gold, or Diamonds because she has the ocean, rubies galore from an Emperor, a mining empire, and a crown as big as a dome. Dickinson scholar Judith Farr believes that pearls represent Sue (based on poems such as "One Life of so much consequence" [F248]) and that the Emperor, the sea, etc., represent the adored Master to whom Dickinson wrote a series of powerful love letters.
But I think the range of best things indicates more than just one man, no matter how adored or superlative, or how generous with his Rubies (Farr finds the imagery of the man pelting the speaker with rubies to be phallic and assaultive). In each case Dickinson dismisses the particular in favor of having the general and more encompassing richness. Pearls are just one precious commodity of the "Ample sea". One brooch will never equal a pelting of rubies, nor gold outweigh all the gems from all the various mines. Diamonds wouldn't fill out a dome the way a Diadem might.
Rubies in the rough
I find this poem as clear a pronouncement of Dickinson's brimming-over poetic calling as in "For this – accepted Breath" [F230] where (I believe) poetry is her "Crown" and her "perennial bloom" – and her portal into something like the "glory" experienced in heaven. Each metaphor supports this. The ocean is not only a symbol of the feminine but of creativity. To own it is to delve at will into its unpredictable and fertile depths.
The ruby-pelting Emperor is a fun version of a poetic muse. Each ruby is an insight or idea more delightful to the poet than a brooch. The rubies are in their natural state, ready for the artist's hand, whereas the brooch is a finished piece: good for adornment but not for creativity.
As a Prince of Mines, the poet can not only delve in the seductive sea but in the richness of the mineral earth. The giant Diadem, or crown, is as it was in F230: the crowning glory of Dickinson's life – poetry.
This poem is among the most regular of Dickinson's verse. With its ballad meter and simple rhymes, it seems almost a cheerful ditty. One could truly sing it to "The Yellow Rose of Texas" and it would sound just right.
Posted by Susan Kornfeld at 6:26 PM
I have to agree with you. Sometimes ED's poetry does seem directed to people in her life (the last poem is an example). In this case and in most cases, the effort of scholars to read ED's poetry as commentary on people and events in her life is a stretch. And it bothers me because it diminishes appreciation of the universal in her poetry.
Ellen April 3, 2015 at 11:05 AM
I'm just going to put it out there that Victorians believed that pearls symbolize tears, rubies symbolize passion, and diamonds symbolize constancy. The purity of gold is a symbol of wealth in general. :)
Susan Kornfeld April 3, 2015 at 6:25 PM
Interesting -- thanks. Now apply to poem...;)
Ellen April 3, 2015 at 8:32 PM
The juxtaposition just makes sense to me:
Tears (pearls) — Sea
Passion (rubies) — the Emperor pelteth
Wealth (gold) — Prince
Constancy (diamonds) — Continual
It seems like ED is having a little fun here, and has added dimension to a poem that most likely pretty much means what you have interpreted. :)
I recently learned that the Victorians were also into the "language of flowers," and my mind is spinning just thinking about all of the little "nosegays" (small bouquets) that ED sent to friends. Were those tiny, briefly alive, poems in and of themselves?
So much fun to think about!
I recently bought Judith Farr's book "The Gardens of Emily Dickinson" and like it quite a bit -- much more so than Farr's "The Passion of Emily Dickinson". I think you'd like the garden book, too.
Thank you, I will look for it! I have this idea to needle-felt a "painting" of ED in her garden with Carlo (and a bobolink for a chorister, and an orchard for a dome) one of these days and have been actually looking for some good info about her garden. So thanks again! :)
Susan Kornfeld May 17, 2016 at 9:40 PM
Have you done this 'painting'??? Just reviewed this post. Sounds wonderful. Would love a picture of it.
mcjeeps January 26, 2017 at 1:56 PM
Yes Ellen, I don't buy ED books but I would stand in line for your painting!
restorel66 May 16, 2016 at 7:04 PM
I am grateful for your observations here. To understand Dickinson one must be playful, for she was surely so herself. Her self awareness as a person of paradox is captivating. So somber and then again so full of delight. Thank you for your thoughtful explication.
Ourselves were wed one summer — dear —
The Lightning playeth — all the while —
When I hoped I feared —
I watched the Moon around the House
The Soul that hath a Guest
I heard a Fly buzz — when I died —