Student Name
Dr. Myron
ENG 250
11/10/09
"Wild Nights -- Wild Nights!" by Emily Dickinson, an Explication
This poem is narrated in first person limited point of view. This poem is a love
poem about one woman and her heart being completely devoted to one person, be it a
man or woman. It also embodies the lust of these two lovers. The first two lines of the
first stanza, "Wild Nights -- Wild Nights! Were I with thee!" states the narrators desire to
be with her lover. The next two lines of the stanza, "Wild nights should be Our luxury!"
asserts the narrators wish that would they be together, her and her loved one would
spend their nights 'wildly.' By this, it is meant that they will make love, possibly all night
long. It should also be noted the use of the word 'luxury,' further demonstrating the
intense passion of these two lovers. The second stanza begins with the lines "Futile --
the Winds -- To a Heart in port." These lines reference the narrator's extreme love for
her partner. She is so madly in love with her partner that temptation, in this case, the
'Wind,' cannot sway her because her heart is already 'in port,' or in this case, infatuated
with her companion. The poem continues 'Done with the Compass -- Done with the
Chart!' exemplifying that the narrator has no use for these tools. The compass and the
chart symbolize tools used to give direction to a certain destination. However, the
narrator has found her desired destination in her lover, and therefore does not need
them. The last stanza ends the poem with the lines "Rowing in Eden -- Ah, the Sea!
