Wild Nights - Wild Nights!Emily Dickinson Wild nights - Wild nights!Were I with thee Wild nights should be Our luxury!Futile - the winds - To a Heart in port - Done with the Compass - Done with the Chart!Rowing in Eden - Ah - the Sea!Might I but moor - tonight - In thee!
VOCABULARY
Thee -you Futile -pointless In port -when a ship rests in a harbour Compass-adeviceusedtonavigate,whichtellsyouthepositionofNorth,South, East and West Chart -a map Tomoor-averb,meaningtotieupashipordropanchorinaparticularplace,similar to the idea of ‘parking a car’, but with a ship in the water 1 / 2
STORY/SUMMARY
Stanza1:Wild,crazy,excitingnights-wildnights!IfIwerewithyou,thesekindsof
evenings would be a luxurious pleasure in which we could both indulge.
Stanza2:Thewindsarepointlesswhenaheartissecurelyrestinginaport,thereisno
need for a compass or map.
Stanza3:Itfeelslikerowinginparadise-Ah-theSeaissopleasantandcalm!Ihope
that tonight I can rest myself next to you.
SPEAKER/VOICE
Thespeakerhasanexcited,energetictoneandseemsfullofpositive,giddyenergyas shetalksdirectlytoheraddresseeabouthowmuchsheenjoystheirtimetogether.The overallsentimentisthatshefeelsasthoughherjourneyhascometoanendwhen they are with one another.
LANGUAGE DEVICES
Repetition-thepoembeginswitharepetitionofthephrase‘Wildnights’,which emphasisestheirexcitement-thepluralof‘nights’suggeststhatthespeakerenjoys spendingmultipleeveningswiththeaddressee,althoughthecontentofthose eveningsiskeptprivateandnotdiscussedinthepoem.Theadjective‘Wild’suggests thatthereissomethingfunandliberating,butalsoperhapsunculturedandprimitive about the type of experience that the speaker describes.Theextendedmetaphorofsailing-Thereferencesto‘winds’,‘port’,‘Compass’,‘Chart’ and‘moor’ingconveyanextendedmetaphorofsailing,whichdemonstratesthewider conceitthatthespeakerisakindofsailorornavigatorwhohasbeentravellingthe worldinsearchofaplacetorest.Theideathattheaddresseeisasafepersontostay with,whoprovidescomfortandasenseofease,iscomplicatedalittlebytheadverb ‘tonight’,whichsuggeststhatthestateisonlytemporaryandisnotexpectedtobe permanent.
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