Exultation is the going
Of an inland soul to sea,
Past the houses - past the headlands, -
Into deep Eternity,
Bred as we, among the mountains,
Can the sailor understand
The divine intoxication
Of the first league out from land?
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NOTES
A letter/poem sent to Susan Dickinson in 1859.
Here Emily attempts to define exultation, drawing a contrast between
an inexperienced person's delight at new sights and the seasoned
person's view of his domain.The nautical metaphor lends itself
to spiritual experience.
In Johnson, Complete Poems, it is #76. It is presented
here as transcribed by Martha Nell Smith and Ellen Hart in Open
Me Carefully. To view the manuscript image, follow this link
to the Dickinson
Electronic Archive (password protected).
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