A Review of Emily Dickinson's A Light Exists in Spring

Emily Dickinson's 'A Light Exists in Spring,' or poem 812, is about the realm of human perception that science cannot necessarily explain or participate in. The speaker invokes words and ideas suggestive of Christianity, creating a spiritual realm that is very real to the speaker.

Dickinson maintains a strict quatrain series and, with a few exceptions, an iambic triameter throughout. Though not every rhyme is exact, she also carries an A-B-C-B rhyme scheme through the entire poem. Much of her poetry is heavily rhythmic, with regular meter and rhyme. Unlike some of her other poetry, 812 does not rely on the long dash or fragmented sentence structure, as this poem is grammatically straightforward with complete sentences. Thematically, she often writes poems that invoke her Christian world view, so the ideas here are seen elsewhere, for example poem 501, which begins, "This World is not Conclusion." Here Dickinson says that a 'Species,' invisible but tangible, stands beyond the world and is the thing sought by religion and philosophy.

The first stanza, beginning with, "A Light exists in Spring," sets up the context of the poem. This Light is present only at certain times of year, at the beginning of March. Dickinson often capitalizes nouns that are not proper nouns, and this poem is not exception. To capitalize 'Light' in line one gives it the feel of a proper noun, which subtly brings forward the idea of god, specifically the Christian idea, as Jesus calls himself the 'Light of the world'. As well, placing the poem in spring and linking it to this 'Light' could perhaps be a subtle reference to Easter, a Christian holiday.

The poem is also grounded in the natural world. Placing the poem in March makes it a seasonal light, suggestive of the cyclical movement of nature, which has nothing to do with religion. In the second stanza shows, the Light produces a color that "stands abroad / On Solitary Fields" (5-6). The word 'solitary' immediately sets a tone of loneliness, especially when combined with the open spaces of a field, giving the feeling of being alone in a vast open space, experiencing this Light. To stand 'abroad' means to be spread widely, again opening up the setting. Lines seven and eight, "That Science cannot overtake / But Human Nature feels," are the most concrete expression of the theme of the poem. Though science may not be able to explain an experience does not mean that experience is not true, because to feel something is another type of perception that is just as valid.

To overtake something means to chase after and catch up to it, so saying that science cannot overtake this Light suggests that scientific understanding is behind or not sufficient enough to explain it. In terms of religion, feeling something emphasizes the experiential nature of religion, which is what separates it from science, which is experimental and asks for verifiable proof, not just feeling. However, the first line, "A Light exists in Spring," suggests that there is some sort of truth or Light that exists not because it is experienced, but because it is. To stretch further, when Moses in the book of Exodus asks God who he is at the burning bush, God says "I Am Who I Am." The Christian God says that he is, apart from his creation, thus the idea of universal truth. This truth may not be verifiable by science and may be perceivable only through emotion or feeling, or whatever it is that allows the speaker to experience the beauty of the moment, but that does not make it less real to the speaker.

The third stanza elaborates on what this Light is like, shining upon the lawn up close, and farther away, upon "the furthest Tree / Upon the furthest Slope" (9-10). Then the speaker says, "you know / It almost speaks to you" (11-12). To say, 'you know' again suggests the validity of this emotional, experiential route to truth, as something that can be known. The 'it' that 'almost speaks to you' is the Light. Bringing in a 'you' here moves the experience away from the speaker alone and makes it something that more than one person can perceive, which does not lessen the experiential nature of it, but does emphasize the possible universality of the feeling or the thing that is being spoken.

The fourth and fifth stanzas move away from experiencing that light. Time passes, along with the Light, because it is present only at a certain time of year, leaving the speaker behind. To go back to the possible idea of Easter, though Jesus was resurrected, he left the earth afterwards, leaving behind his followers. The speaker says that "Noons report away," and the word 'report' suggests the report or echo of a loud noise, like a gunshot (14). That days echo away means they are all alike and pass quickly, fading as they go. The Light is "Without the Formula of sound" (15). The word 'formula' is a scientific word meaning something that shows contents or prescribes a fixed form. The Light is without this formulaic characteristic, again showing its experiential nature in contrast to being verifiable by science.

But the absence of the Light leaves a tangible void. It is "A quality of loss / Affecting our Content" (17-18). Saying 'our' here again expands the experience beyond the personal perception of the speaker. In the last two lines, the speaker contrasts trade and sacrament. The loss of the Light feels like "Trade had suddenly encroached / Upon a Sacrament" (19-20). Trade could mean buying and selling, or conducting business. It also means to swap, reinforcing the idea of change already in place. That trade encroaches gives it a negative connotation because to encroach means to intrude, or to go where one does not belong and is not welcome. A sacrament is a distinctly Christian word meaning a symbolic ceremony such as the Eucharist or baptism. A sacrament also carries with it the idea of tradition, which one would not want to sacrifice at the expense of trade, suggestive of commerce. The conflict between trade and sacrament also brings to mind the New Testament story where Jesus throws the money lenders out of the temple because they are conducting business where they do not belong.

Dickinson gives the poem a natural setting, but the Christian undertones suggest that perhaps experiencing nature is a way to gain a higher spiritual understanding. This spiritual understanding is very real to the speaker, but not unique to the speaker alone. It is apart from science, but that does not make it less real or less valid as a way to truth.