Every July, like many people in temperate areas, I have hummingbirds visiting my window feeders frequently. They are simply beautiful with their tiny wings and their graceful flight. It's no wonder that Emily Dickinson chose to write a poem about hummingbirds.
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson lived in the mid-1800s in Massachusetts. Massachusetts has only one hummingbird - the ruby-throated. The photo shown here is one I took in Massachusetts, of a ruby-throated. It is quite a pretty hummingbird! Emily lived with her family, never married, and was extremely private. It was only after her death that most of her poems were seen by the public.
Interestingly, this poem was one she wrote simply as a gift for a friend. Mabel Todd had sent Emily a painting of Indian Pipes; these are fascinating plants found in Massachusetts that do in fact look like a pipe. They can be found every July in wooded areas. In thanks, Emily sent a letter back to Mabel with this poem.
A route of evanescence
With a revolving wheel;
A resonance of emerald,
A rush of cochineal;
And every blossom on the bush
Adjusts its tumbled head,--
The mail from Tunis, probably,
An easy morning’s ride.
What does this poem mean to you? A few points to help out. The word
evanescence is a delightful one which means a gradual fading away. Sort of like when a morning mist fades away as the sun rises. The word
cochineal was brought to news-worthiness when Starbucks was caught using these red insects to color their drinks, much to the unhappiness of vegetarians. The word, therefore, refers to the ruby throated aspect of the hummingbirds that Emily would have been watching in her gardens.
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July - A Poem A Day
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