Two Butterflies Went Out at Noon : Emily Dickinson's Nature Mysticism

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Circuit I - (03) Two Butterflies Went Out at Noon (J-0533) (F-0571)

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⁽¹⁾ Two butterflies went out at noon
And waltzed upon a farm,
⁽²⁾ Then stepped straight through the firmament
And rested on a beam —

⁽³⁾ And then together bore away
Upon a shining sea —
⁽⁴⁾ Though never yet, in any port,
Their coming mentioned — be —

⁽⁵⁾ If spoken by the distant bird,
If met in ether sea
⁽⁶⁾ By frigate, or by merchantman,
Report was not to me.

^{(Below: original manuscript version from Fascicle 25, without

editing [except for "upon" for "opon"] or imposed lineation, and

without Dickinson's alternative for line 12 adopted.)}

⁽¹⁾ Two Butterflies went out at Noon –
And waltzed upon a Farm,
⁽²⁾ Then stepped straight through
the Firmament
And rested, on a Beam –

⁽³⁾ And then – together bore away
Upon a shining Sea –
⁽⁴⁾ Though never yet, in any Port,
Their coming mentioned – be –

⁽⁵⁾ If spoken by the distant Bird –
If met in Ether Sea
⁽⁶⁾ By Frigate, or by Merchantman –
No notice – was – to me –

~ Emily Dickinson

~ 2 Slideshows ~
Enclosure! | Insect Worlds!

Commentary adapted from Emily Dickinson's Poems & Letters

^(1-2) "A power of butterfly must be the aptitude to fly, meadows of
majesty concedes and easy sweeps of sky." ~ (J-1099) (F-1107)

^(1-2) "I write in the midst of sweet-peas and by the side of orioles,
and could put my hand on a butterfly, only he withdraws." ~ (L #1004)

^(1-4) "Life is so strong a vision, not one of it shall fail." ~ (L #860)

⁽²⁾ "The butterfly upon the sky that doesn't know it's name . . .
is just as high as you and I, and higher, I believe."
~ (L #718) (J-1521) (F-1559)

^(3-4) "Home and roam in one." ~ (L #728)

^(3-6) "Is it oblivion or absorption when things pass
from our minds?" ~ (L #342b)

^(3-6) "The butterfly rises to the situation . . . an ell of rapture
to an inch of wing." ~ (L #723)

^(3-6) "Existence — in itself — without a further function —
omnipotence — enough." (J-0677) (F-0876)

^(3-6) "I do not go away, but the grounds are ample —
almost travel, to me . . . " ~ (L #735)

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Photo Credit: earlywomenmasters.net ~ Late Summer Azure
Butterfly (Celastrina sp.), Hudson River Park, NYC