A Dew sufficed itself –
And satisfied a Leaf
And felt “how vast a destiny” –
“How trivial is Life!”
The sun went out to work –
The Day went out to play
And not again that Dew be seen
By Physiognomy
Emily Dickinson
This piece is dedicated to David Preest, who so graciously has shared his knowledge and love of Emily Dickinson in his website for all to see. Below is his beautiful description of the poem above.
1437 F1372 ‘A Dew sufficed itself’
A Dew, which had been sufficient for and satisfied a Leaf, thought how trivial had been his life but to what a vast destiny [the life of a tree] he had contributed. That dew was never seen again for anybody to comment on his face, but his tragedy is still to be found in the records of the fleetingness of transport or joy and the celerity of fate.
Maybe the Dew is anyone of us.
David Preest
Life is fleeting so make work your play and play your work! Pondell
Subscribe to our premium content to read the rest.
Become a paying subscriber to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content.
Upgrade