Why do I love you, sir?
Because-
The wind never asks the grass.
Answer, why did he pass by?
She couldn't help shaking.
Because he knows, and you,
You don't know,
We don't know,
We have such wisdom.
That's enough.
Lightning, never asking eyes,
Why did he turn it off when he passed by?
Because he knows, he can't say,
There are some facts,
It's hard to explain,
A noble man would rather know.
Mr. Chaoyang, I can't help myself,
He is Chaoyang, I saw it,
So, so.
I love you.
(translated by Jiang Feng)
Emily Dickinson is an American poetess who can be compared with walt whitman. When we mention her today, we can't help but feel a mysterious atmosphere hanging over us. For the unique aesthetic world composed by her and her works, we can't just feel it from the surface, but we can't help but plunge into it to find the inner things.
Dickinson is mysterious and unique. Her mystery comes from her distance from the external world and her proximity to the internal world. She was unmarried and lived alone all her life, but she was able to portray human emotions vividly. In her view, "being alive is enough to make people happy." Because her thoughts are deeply influenced by American Transcendentalism, she thinks that human nature is not material but spiritual, and her world is less utilitarian and more pure spirit. Shown in the works, it is not a simple emotional expression, but an abstract theme of the essence of life through a certain aesthetic perspective. This song "Why Do I Love You, Sir" can tell us something.
This poem was written in 1862. That year was the peak of Dickinson's life. Charles Wordsworth, the "God of Destiny" whom she worships and loves, will move to San Francisco. She learned the news in September of the first year. "Since last September-I felt a fear-I couldn't tell anyone-so I sang, just like the child who passed by the cemetery." For her, the pain of losing her lover is like facing death. And get love? Its meaning is like a lover who gains faith and soul. This feeling has been generalized as a unique life experience, which can no longer be measured by the general concept of gain and loss. Her love, whether tragedy or comedy, is not only emotional need and satisfaction, but an inevitable content in her life. Knowing this will also help us understand the significance of Dickinson's "isolation" not only as a "love martyr".
Now, let's look at her answer to love. Why do I love you, sir? Because the wind never asks the grass to answer, why does he have to shake when he passes by? Also, "Lightning never asks his eyes,/why does he close his eyes when he passes by …" Is this the answer of love? No, it isn't. For a deeply loved person, love is a natural thing, and there is nothing to answer. As long as "we have such wisdom/is enough. ..... Some reasonable/unspeakable/noble people would rather know. " Therefore, for Dickinson, love is innate.
As a poetess, Dickinson is gentle and reserved. For this passionate theme, she did not pour out enthusiastically, but calmly expressed her feelings, even with a hint of ridicule and humor, which made the whole poem seem distant, peaceful and full of wisdom. After reading, people get profound and thorough aesthetic satisfaction and get the effect of changing their minds. At first glance, her poetry seems a little dull, because she doesn't want to fill it with too much material content, even if she loses its readers, then, even so, we should say that this is caused by a kind of indifference. Similarly, Dickinson is profound. She is good at expressing her understanding of the concepts of eternity, truth, beauty and death in humorous language; For some ordinary things, she can inject spiritual content, fresh and unique. Dickinson has a gift for poetry, and her poems are often novel and original, which can often surprise people. This poem is a good example. She explains the necessity of love with everyday phenomena, and the grass is bound to tremble in front of the wind. You must close your eyes before lightning, which is harmonious and natural, just right. The language of this poem is also Dickinson-style, with simple and natural spoken language and relaxed tone, which adds a calm charm to the work. (Shao Wei)