More on Emily Dickinson's Conceptual Rhymes
In an earlier post, I noted Emily Dickinson’s use of conceptual rhyme. Here are a few more notes:
I have a Bird in spring
Which for myself doth sing—
The spring decoys.
And as the summer nears—
And as the Rose appears,
Robin is gone.
Yet do I not repine
Knowing that Bird of mine
Though flown—
Learneth beyond the sea
Melody new for me
And will return.
Fast is a safer hand
Held in a truer Land
Are mine—
And though they now depart,
Tell I my doubting heart
They're thine.
In a serener Bright,
In a more golden light
I see
Each little doubt and fear,
Each little discord here
Removed.
Then will I not repine,
Knowing that Bird of mine
Though flown
Shall in a distant tree
Bright melody for me
Return.
Some possible reading of the conceptual rhymes: decoys make birds (gone) only appear to be present, birds/true robins weren’t present; bird flown away/bird returned; bird is mine privately imagined/now that bird is thine—inspired to work out these and the rest?! So far, is her bird in spring an illusion, never appears? Each conceptually related monometer pair is in sharp contrast with the alternating trimeter and perfectly rhymed couplets.
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Ralph
Last edited by RCL; 10-03-2021 at 06:15 PM.
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