Our Lives are Swiss
Routing through a pile of old college papers and transcripts, I stumbled upon a crumpled analysis of Emily Dickinson's poem Our Lives are Swiss. At the time I wrote the paper, I believed it to be the finest analysis of poetry I had ever written. Though I had forgotten the general direction of the paper, I remembered why I had considered it to be the magnum opus of my freshman year of college. From crowded auditoriums to sunlit campus gardens, I had been tortured by whimsical, absurd and politically charged interpretations of both poetry and literature. I saw a vast difference between what an author might have meant, and what the author's work could mean to an individual. Professors and teachers were generally faultless; their questions valid and thoughtful, but student answers frequently nettled. While studying the poetry of Emily Dickinson, her poem Our Lives are Swiss instantly flowered with deliberate purpose. I wrote in a fever, finishing my analysis several days before its due date. Rife with meaning so resonant, Dickinson's imagery could clearly be interpreted only one way.
Our lives are Swiss —
So still — so Cool —
Till some odd afternoon
The Alps neglect their Curtains
And we look farther on!
Italy stands the other side!
While like a guard between —
The solemn Alps —
The siren Alps
Forever intervene!
So still — so Cool —
Till some odd afternoon
The Alps neglect their Curtains
And we look farther on!
Italy stands the other side!
While like a guard between —
The solemn Alps —
The siren Alps
Forever intervene!
- And in 1997, I write (unedited):
Of the many poems I have read by Emily Dickenson, the poem that had the greatest influence on me was "Our Lives are Swiss." Having lived in Switzerland for two years, I see depth to this poem that may be overlooked by the casual reader. I will show that this poem symbolizes death through the imagery of the Alps and the Swiss culture.
Emily Dickenson begins this poem as follows: "Our Lives are Swiss, - So still, so cool,". The importance of the opening lines can be more fully understood when the nature of the Swiss culture and basic Swiss history is understood. Switzerland was originally formed by noble countrymen to protect themselves from invading Germanic tribes from the north. These men formed an agreement called "Der Bund," meaning the covenant. This covenant was an agreement to protect and support each other while remaining totally neutral to any outside affairs.
Over the centuries, many other "Cantons," or City States have taken upon themselves the covenant, and Switzerland has been in a constant state of peace since the eleventh century. Even now, Switzerland refuses to join the common market with the European Union, thus remaining neutral to all outside affairs. Swiss mentality is very similar to that of the country. Almost any changes brought within the country are resisted. Emily Dickenson uses the predictability of the Swiss in stating that our lives are Swiss, calm and cool.
The poem continues in the first stanza with a second image of great importance, this being the Alps. The Swiss Alps are the most prominent mountains in central Europe. Since the beginning of Switzerland, the Alps have been a natural barrier that have protected Switzerland from any invaders from the south. If the Alps were to "neglect their curtains" as the poem mentions, Italy, a foreign land, could be plainly seen to the south. This would expose the calm Swiss life to a foreign change that would affect every aspect of the Swiss existence.
In the second stanza, Emily adds importance to the imagery of the Alps by referring to the Alps as "The siren Alps." This reference comes from Greek mythology. Sirens are female creatures that sing a song that possesses any male that hears the melody. Those who hear are then compelled to go to the sirens and are held captive.
With all of these rich images in mind, it becomes easy to see the meaning of the poem. Picture a vertical line with a horizontal line intersecting the vertical line near the middle. The top half of the vertical line is red, and the bottom half is green. This is the geographical image of the complete poem. It would look something like a cross, quite possibly a crucifix. The red segment of the vertical line symbolizes the Swiss life, and the green segment symbolizes Italy, a foreign land. The intersecting line symbolizes the "siren Alps." If our lives were Swiss, we would calmly be walking this line drawing us to the "siren Alps." On "some odd afternoon, The Alps neglect their curtains..." and we pass into a foreign existence.
This poem clearly illustrates the process of death and the entrance into the unknown by the usage of the Swiss images of life, the Alps standing solidly between life and death, and the image of Italy, a foreign place of existence.
Even though I now recognize numerous glaring errors, I was pleased with the effort I made those years ago. Despite the aforementioned flaws, I still agree with my initial interpretation.
"Do you really think Emily Dickinson had all that culture and history in mind when she penned the poem?"
For the first time since my "fevered" interpretation, I was confronted with a question that required honesty to answer. Reluctantly, I answered "Probably not."
Within moments of those two words leaving my lips, I had a disturbing mix of thoughts that included a kindhearted teacher's forgiveness, pained sighs of peers who have grown weary of slapdash, and wordy interpretations, and finally, the vision of Hannibal driving his herd of snorting and bellowing war elephants over the Alps into Italy.
Ms. Dickinson could have possibly known much of what my essay demands of her. She did study English, Latin, Geography and History prior to adulthood and her eventual seclusion. She was deeply impacted by the deaths of those near to her, and the theme is recurrent in her words in both prose and form.
Despite this, my perception of reality is projected strongly throughout the essay. Never once did I attempt to see the poem through the eyes of the poet. I chose comfort by seeing only what was obvious to me. Reality, in a sense, is so familiar, so still, - so cool...
Of the many poems I have read by Emily Dickenson, the poem that had the greatest influence on me was "Our Lives are Swiss." Having lived in Switzerland for two years, I see depth to this poem that may be overlooked by the casual reader. I will show that this poem symbolizes death through the imagery of the Alps and the Swiss culture.
Emily Dickenson begins this poem as follows: "Our Lives are Swiss, - So still, so cool,". The importance of the opening lines can be more fully understood when the nature of the Swiss culture and basic Swiss history is understood. Switzerland was originally formed by noble countrymen to protect themselves from invading Germanic tribes from the north. These men formed an agreement called "Der Bund," meaning the covenant. This covenant was an agreement to protect and support each other while remaining totally neutral to any outside affairs.
Over the centuries, many other "Cantons," or City States have taken upon themselves the covenant, and Switzerland has been in a constant state of peace since the eleventh century. Even now, Switzerland refuses to join the common market with the European Union, thus remaining neutral to all outside affairs. Swiss mentality is very similar to that of the country. Almost any changes brought within the country are resisted. Emily Dickenson uses the predictability of the Swiss in stating that our lives are Swiss, calm and cool.
The poem continues in the first stanza with a second image of great importance, this being the Alps. The Swiss Alps are the most prominent mountains in central Europe. Since the beginning of Switzerland, the Alps have been a natural barrier that have protected Switzerland from any invaders from the south. If the Alps were to "neglect their curtains" as the poem mentions, Italy, a foreign land, could be plainly seen to the south. This would expose the calm Swiss life to a foreign change that would affect every aspect of the Swiss existence.
In the second stanza, Emily adds importance to the imagery of the Alps by referring to the Alps as "The siren Alps." This reference comes from Greek mythology. Sirens are female creatures that sing a song that possesses any male that hears the melody. Those who hear are then compelled to go to the sirens and are held captive.
With all of these rich images in mind, it becomes easy to see the meaning of the poem. Picture a vertical line with a horizontal line intersecting the vertical line near the middle. The top half of the vertical line is red, and the bottom half is green. This is the geographical image of the complete poem. It would look something like a cross, quite possibly a crucifix. The red segment of the vertical line symbolizes the Swiss life, and the green segment symbolizes Italy, a foreign land. The intersecting line symbolizes the "siren Alps." If our lives were Swiss, we would calmly be walking this line drawing us to the "siren Alps." On "some odd afternoon, The Alps neglect their curtains..." and we pass into a foreign existence.
This poem clearly illustrates the process of death and the entrance into the unknown by the usage of the Swiss images of life, the Alps standing solidly between life and death, and the image of Italy, a foreign place of existence.
Even though I now recognize numerous glaring errors, I was pleased with the effort I made those years ago. Despite the aforementioned flaws, I still agree with my initial interpretation.
Stillness - Bo Bartlett
I gathered the essay, and in a fashion that belied an air of self-patronization, I read the words of a youthful, yet surprisingly astute version of myself to Beloved. Ever thoughtful, she paused before asking a single question.
"Do you really think Emily Dickinson had all that culture and history in mind when she penned the poem?"
For the first time since my "fevered" interpretation, I was confronted with a question that required honesty to answer. Reluctantly, I answered "Probably not."
Within moments of those two words leaving my lips, I had a disturbing mix of thoughts that included a kindhearted teacher's forgiveness, pained sighs of peers who have grown weary of slapdash, and wordy interpretations, and finally, the vision of Hannibal driving his herd of snorting and bellowing war elephants over the Alps into Italy.
Ms. Dickinson could have possibly known much of what my essay demands of her. She did study English, Latin, Geography and History prior to adulthood and her eventual seclusion. She was deeply impacted by the deaths of those near to her, and the theme is recurrent in her words in both prose and form.
Despite this, my perception of reality is projected strongly throughout the essay. Never once did I attempt to see the poem through the eyes of the poet. I chose comfort by seeing only what was obvious to me. Reality, in a sense, is so familiar, so still, - so cool...
