Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Emily Dickinson's Trinity

Helen Vendler analyses a little poem by Emily Dickinson:
In the name of the Bee -
And of the Butterfly -
And of the Breeze - Amen!

She says: First, the poem invents the idea of a parody of a Christian form of words, while retaining a trace of its source in its closing “Amen.” And second: the poet decides on the three nouns to be substituted for the three Persons of the Trinity. And third: the poet has to make her trinity of nouns “mean something” in relation to one another (as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are related).

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Planning for Rites and Rituals Year A Church Publishing 2025

Edited by Canon Andrew Wright. To be published in July 2025   https://www.churchpublishing.org/planningforritesandritualsyeara