The poem below written by Emma Lazarus is a sonnet in which was she was writing about a dream in which she apparently had, which I found very interesting. In the way in which I read it, it explains how she may in fact have had romantic feelings towards women. While she was alive and writing, women's writing was tended to not be take seriously, which is something that made things a little more difficult for her. Yet, she would take her difficulties and turn them into poems in which helped her make a name for herself.
(The sonnet below is all one stanza but I will be breaking it up in order to better analyze and discuss it)
Assurance
Last night I slept, and when I woke her kiss
Still floated on my lips.
The first line of the sonnet displays this dream as having "her kiss" floating on her lips. This is why I drew the conclusion that Emma may have in fact had been attracted to the same sex, even if she did not realize it.
For we had strayed
Together in my dream, through some dim glade,
Where the shy moonbeams scarce dared light our bliss.
This is where she explains that this was a dream she had and how her and this other woman had stayed together throughout the dream. She explains happy they were and that they were being hit by the light of the moon.
The air was dank with dew, between the trees,
The hidden glow-worms kindled and were spent.
This line above is probably one of my favorites within this sonnet. The imagery she used was absolutely beautiful. I can truly smell the dew in the air and I can imagine the sight of the glow-worms hidden among the trees. This helps the reader know what Emma and this women were seeing and can give a sense of being there to the reader as well.
Cheek pressed to cheek, the cool, the hot night-breeze
With this one single line, you can sense the woman's cheek being pressed up against hers and you can sense the tingly coolness it sent through her body followed by the hot night-breeze.
Mingled ouir hair, our breath, and came and went,
As sporting with our passion.
You can now sense the mingling of the hair, and the breath between the two of them and how it was pauses in between because of the passion between them.
Low and deep
Spake in mine ear her voice: "And didst thou dream,
This could be buried? This could be sleep?
And love be thrall to death! Nay, whatso seem,
Have faith, dear heart; this is the thing that is!"
Low and deep the woman spoke into Emma's ear and explained that this is her dream it could be buried, which I took as her conscious hiding this part of who she is. She explained how it could just be sleep, but either way she loves her to death. She tells her to have faith, because what shes feeling is true.
Thereon I woke, and on my lips her kiss.
The end of this sonnet brings us right back to the beginning where the woman's kiss were upon Emma's lips.
Still floated on my lips.
The first line of the sonnet displays this dream as having "her kiss" floating on her lips. This is why I drew the conclusion that Emma may have in fact had been attracted to the same sex, even if she did not realize it.
For we had strayed
Together in my dream, through some dim glade,
Where the shy moonbeams scarce dared light our bliss.
This is where she explains that this was a dream she had and how her and this other woman had stayed together throughout the dream. She explains happy they were and that they were being hit by the light of the moon.
The air was dank with dew, between the trees,
The hidden glow-worms kindled and were spent.
This line above is probably one of my favorites within this sonnet. The imagery she used was absolutely beautiful. I can truly smell the dew in the air and I can imagine the sight of the glow-worms hidden among the trees. This helps the reader know what Emma and this women were seeing and can give a sense of being there to the reader as well.
Cheek pressed to cheek, the cool, the hot night-breeze
With this one single line, you can sense the woman's cheek being pressed up against hers and you can sense the tingly coolness it sent through her body followed by the hot night-breeze.
Mingled ouir hair, our breath, and came and went,
As sporting with our passion.
You can now sense the mingling of the hair, and the breath between the two of them and how it was pauses in between because of the passion between them.
Low and deep
Spake in mine ear her voice: "And didst thou dream,
This could be buried? This could be sleep?
And love be thrall to death! Nay, whatso seem,
Have faith, dear heart; this is the thing that is!"
Low and deep the woman spoke into Emma's ear and explained that this is her dream it could be buried, which I took as her conscious hiding this part of who she is. She explained how it could just be sleep, but either way she loves her to death. She tells her to have faith, because what shes feeling is true.
Thereon I woke, and on my lips her kiss.
The end of this sonnet brings us right back to the beginning where the woman's kiss were upon Emma's lips.
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