Poets are Artists Too
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And if I go, while you’re still here…
By: Emily Dickinson
And if I go, while you’re still here…
Know that I live on,
Vibrating to a different measure
Behind a thin veil you cannot see through.
You will not see me,
So you must have faith.
I wait for the time when we can soar
Together again,
Both aware of each other.
Until then, live your life to the fullest
And when you need me,
Just whisper my name in your heart,
...I will be there.
Art and poetry have many similarities with each other. Some would even argue that art is the visual form
of poetry and poetry is the written form of art. Almost every poem written has one if not many art pieces
that could accompany it (and vice versa). The poem “And if I go, while you’re still here…” by Emily
Dickinson is a good example of a poem with many potential accompanying art pieces. One art piece that I felt
truly conveyed the many messages of the poem was this digital art piece, Moving Heaven and Earth. Even
though the title might not connect with the poem as well, the imagery from the poem can be translated to the
piece of art.
of poetry and poetry is the written form of art. Almost every poem written has one if not many art pieces
that could accompany it (and vice versa). The poem “And if I go, while you’re still here…” by Emily
Dickinson is a good example of a poem with many potential accompanying art pieces. One art piece that I felt
truly conveyed the many messages of the poem was this digital art piece, Moving Heaven and Earth. Even
though the title might not connect with the poem as well, the imagery from the poem can be translated to the
piece of art.
The poem’s main message is about how the speaker will always be caring and watching over the “you” in the
afterlife. In the painting, the character resembles a human but is no longer on earth. Instead, she is in space
(the Heavens signifying death and the afterlife) and projecting a silver-like barrier around the earth. This
conveys the message of protection and constant supervision, assuming the “you” are the people on Earth.
Another connection to the silver layer displayed in the piece is when the poem mentions the “thin veil.” The
lining that covers the earth represents the veil through which the character looks at the earth. When observing
the picture closely, we can see that the silver-like barrier is not only surrounding the earth but going into it.
This conveys the part in the poem when the speaker says, “Just whisper my name in your heart,...I will be there.”
The silver-like fog is going into the earth like it is entering its heart.
afterlife. In the painting, the character resembles a human but is no longer on earth. Instead, she is in space
(the Heavens signifying death and the afterlife) and projecting a silver-like barrier around the earth. This
conveys the message of protection and constant supervision, assuming the “you” are the people on Earth.
Another connection to the silver layer displayed in the piece is when the poem mentions the “thin veil.” The
lining that covers the earth represents the veil through which the character looks at the earth. When observing
the picture closely, we can see that the silver-like barrier is not only surrounding the earth but going into it.
This conveys the part in the poem when the speaker says, “Just whisper my name in your heart,...I will be there.”
The silver-like fog is going into the earth like it is entering its heart.
The character in the picture represents the speaker. The character is floating in the center of the picture implying
the capability of the ability to fly. This is referenced in the poem when the speaker says, “I wait for the time
when we can soar (...) Until then, live your life to the fullest.” These lines imply that the “you” can not yet fly
but the speaker is waiting for it so that they can fly together. The theme of flight is also apparent in the other
silver streaks coming from the character’s hand. The streaks look like birds who are flying toward the character
and the earth.
the capability of the ability to fly. This is referenced in the poem when the speaker says, “I wait for the time
when we can soar (...) Until then, live your life to the fullest.” These lines imply that the “you” can not yet fly
but the speaker is waiting for it so that they can fly together. The theme of flight is also apparent in the other
silver streaks coming from the character’s hand. The streaks look like birds who are flying toward the character
and the earth.
The last aspect of the picture are the waves emerging from the character. This is referencing the line that says,
“Know that I live on/Vibrating to a different measure.” Waves are created through vibrations and because the
waves are moving in opposing directions, they are experiencing different vibrations. Water is also a common
symbol for life. Thus having the waves coming from the character signify that the character is still living, as
said in the line “Know that I live on.”
“Know that I live on/Vibrating to a different measure.” Waves are created through vibrations and because the
waves are moving in opposing directions, they are experiencing different vibrations. Water is also a common
symbol for life. Thus having the waves coming from the character signify that the character is still living, as
said in the line “Know that I live on.”
As seen with the above poem and art piece, we can gain different or even further interpretations of the two forms
of art. With the art piece, we extrapolated a different interpretation than the interpretation implied by the title.
With the poem, we expanded our interpretation by connecting in with the art piece. Thus, having a poem and a
picture can prove vital to each others interpretations.
Picture link: https://chrissiecool.deviantart.com/art/Moving-Heaven-and-Earth-171757001
of art. With the art piece, we extrapolated a different interpretation than the interpretation implied by the title.
With the poem, we expanded our interpretation by connecting in with the art piece. Thus, having a poem and a
picture can prove vital to each others interpretations.
Picture link: https://chrissiecool.deviantart.com/art/Moving-Heaven-and-Earth-171757001
Post by Nina Galvez
I really enjoyed reading this analyis of poetry/art combo! It's fascinating that you chose to pair a Dickinson poem, a celebrated relic of the early 1800s, with a digital collage from deviantart. Despite their gap in time and context, the connections you draw between the two pieces of art nicely demonstrate your conclusion ("Thus, having a poem and a picture can prove vital to each others interpretations".
ReplyDeleteI love this art piece and your message. While some art might not have a deeper meaning, neither does poetry. I mean that in a sense that they're both loose and free flowing mediums, for example drawing stick figure cartoons or poems about eat an apple pie. They may not have some deep meaning, but they're art; they express an authors view point or feelings. Also, I really like how you made the connection between death and the woman in the painting floating through space, waiting to fly again with her lover/friend.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very elegant analysis of the relationship between poetry and visual art. I liked that you used a specific poem and art piece to exemplify such a connection. That helped me to really grasp your points and give them context. As I think many would agree, poetry is so subjective, but in conjunction with your thoughts, I would argue that using visual art as context to a poem can really help to not only bring the narrative to life, but also to just support the interpreted message of the piece. That said, great post, Nina!
ReplyDeleteI love the painting you've chosen to represent this poem, Nina, and I think it really conveys the poem's ideas well. I was not familiar with this as an Emily Dickinson poem, and it doesn't feel or read like any of the many Dickinson poems I've read. A google search reveals that it's reproduced on many blogs and spaces dedicated to healing and grief, but nowhere (at least in the top page of hits) that's literary or poetry-oriented, so I would be surprised if it were actually a Dickinson poem. More likely it's one that's been misattributed to her, then the poem and misattribution spread online. I'll try to do some more research and see what I can come up with on this question. In any case, I do think the painting is a great representation of the poem, and the poem's ideas are quite nice.
ReplyDeleteYour description of the image, accompanied by your poem really gave me a better understanding of what I am seeing. With my first look I really couldn't figure out what was going on, besides the obvious of a strange floating girl with waves looking down on the world. She does seem to be caught between places "behind a thin veil", and I love your descriptive sentence: "The silver-like fog is going into the earth like it is entering its heart.".
ReplyDeleteI think that the image you chose fits really well with the poem, and looking at them side by side, they really highlight the nuanced details of the other piece. I like the connection you made that the girl is watching over the Earth like the speaker in the poem, and how she is most likely dead, and like Kaden said, she seems to be caught between places. Great post, Nina!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your personal descriptions of the images in this poem. The poem itself is beautiful and you gave wonderful insight that furthered that fact. The painting helped to further push its imagery. You did a wonderful job analyzing the relationship between written and visual art.
ReplyDeleteThis comparison was unexpected. I never would have chosen this picture to fit this poem, but your analysis convinced me. Thanks for this!
ReplyDeleteI really think that picture oddly fits the poem as well. There is something dream-like about the picture and the imagery that can be drawn from the poem can be similarly dream-like. Reading the poem after looking at the picture gives me a different feeling about both the poem and the picture as they compliment and bolster each other's meaning. Good post
ReplyDeleteNina, I really liked the poem you selected, Dickinson continues to astound. While I'm not very familiar with digital art, I also like this piece. As Ana mentioned previously, the contrast between the time periods is great but they can still convey meaning. Yet, I think, going deeper, their different ages but ability to share meaning perhaps speaks to deeper connections within the human experience. Maybe in the shared feeling of desire for death to not be as final. Great post.
ReplyDelete