How Does Dickinson Express Her Love in “Wild Nights! Wild Nights?”

Answer

 How does Dickinson express her love in “Wild Nights! Wild Nights?”  [NU. 2015]

Emily Dickinson’s (1830 – 1886) poem “Wild Nights! Wild Nights!” (1891) beautifully expresses the intense and passionate feelings of love the speaker holds for their beloved. The poem is short but packed with deep emotions and powerful imagery. They convey a strong sense of longing and desire.

Strong Feelings: The speaker repeats words to show how excited and full of energy their love is. The poem starts with the line,

“Wild nights – Wild nights!” 

The word “wild” tells us that this love is very strong and cannot be controlled. The speaker says that if they were with their special person, these wild nights would be “luxury.” This means they would feel very happy and lucky.

Wishing to Be Together: In the second part of the poem, the speaker dreams of being safe and happy with her special person. She talks about a “Heart in port.” This means feeling safe like a ship in a harbor. The speaker wants to stop searching and struggling, as shown in the lines, 

“Done with the Compass – 

Done with the Chart!” 

This shows that the speaker feels lost without her special person and wants to be with him to feel safe and loved.

Wanting to Be Very Close: In the final lines, Dickinson captures the depth of the speaker’s love. She expresses the desire to be completely united with the beloved. The speaker desires to “moor” in their love. This suggests a deep and intimate connection, both physically and spiritually. The phrase “in thee” highlights the speaker’s wish for complete closeness. This shows that their love is very deep and strong.

To conclude, in “Wild Nights! Wild Nights!,” Dickinson uses simple but powerful words to show a love that is full of passion, desire, and closeness. The speaker loves her special person with all her heart.