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Were I with thee
Wild nights should be
Our luxury!
I’m not much for poetry but those opening lines to Emily Dickinson’s short poem [#269] have always appealed to me. I think it’s the structure of the verse, somewhat staid and expected with its neat and tidy four beats to each line, contrasted with the sexuality that Wild Nights conjures—a swirl of sheets soaked with sweat, bodies intertwined. There’s something appealing about gentility unraveling behind closed doors. Knowing that Emily Dickinson basically lived a quiet life, sheltered and restrictive and in all likelihood never experienced those wild nights for herself, makes the verse all the more potent.
A Quiet Passion is based on that quiet, reclusive life and Cynthia Nixon (Sex in the City) seems perfectly cast as Emily Dickinson. While the film has already been released in the UK, the movie about the great American poet doesn’t come out in the U.S. until April 14th.
I’m curious to see the film, to learn more about the woman, unrecognized during her lifetime, and her art. Will you be watching?
Here’s the entire poem for your reflection.
Wild nights - Wild nights!
Were I with thee
Wild nights should be
Our luxury!
Futile - the winds -
To a Heart in port -
Done with the Compass -
Done with the Chart!
Rowing in Eden -
Ah - the Sea!
Might I but moor - tonight -
In thee!