Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Written in Sickness" by Ralph Waldo Emerson is a poignant expression of the human condition grappling with frailty, disease, and the passage of time. This poem diverges from Emerson's more famous works that often champion the ideals of self-reliance and the grandeur of nature. Instead, it offers an intimate lens into the experience of facing "the sad infirmities" usually associated with old age but manifested here in the speaker's youth.

The poem opens with a declaration of an unsettling reality-the speaker's body is already unraveling, the health compromised. There's a sense of bitter irony in the lines "I bear in youth the sad infirmities / That use to undo the limb & sense of age." Typically, youth is a time for exploring one's physical boundaries, for frolicking in "fields & farms," and for experiencing the beauty of "windy hills" and "lakes." The speaker feels robbed of these experiences, noting that "It hath pleased Heaven to break the dream of bliss," a statement that reflects the randomness or unfairness of fate.

What is striking is the speaker's internal dialogue, vacillating between moments of regret and moments of resilience. There is a conscious attempt to keep the internal flame alive despite the external fragility. Lines like "Yet I think on them in the silent night" indicate a mind yearning to re-experience past freedoms, even if only in thought. This shift from a bleak external reality to an empowering internal landscape is crucial. "Still breaks that morn, though dim, to Memory's eye" reveals the power of the mind to go where the body cannot.

Moreover, the "firm soul" is depicted as a fortress against the "pale train" of "grim Disease." The soul's defiance indicates a sort of spiritual resilience that transcends the physical limitations. This defiance becomes a central theme of the poem, emphasizing the innate human ability to confront suffering with mental fortitude.

However, the speaker is not relying solely on mental strength. The concluding lines bring in another layer of complexity by invoking religious sentiment. "Please God, I'll wrap me in mine innocence / And bid each awful Muse drive the damned harpies hence," the speaker offers a prayerful vow to embrace innocence as a protective shield. The "damned harpies" metaphorically represent the ills and perhaps the regrets that plague the mind and soul, and the speaker wishes to drive them away with the aid of the "awful Muse"-a call to higher, divine inspiration.

"Written in Sickness" stands as a powerful reminder of the vulnerabilities inherent in our human experience. It captures the essence of what it means to confront one's own mortality while yearning for a life of meaning and beauty. This poem, although less optimistic than some of Emerson's other works, aligns with the larger body of his philosophy by emphasizing the invincibility of the human spirit, even when faced with the direst physical circumstances. Emerson, through the delicacy of his words, turns suffering into a form of spiritual inquiry, inviting us to question, confront, and ultimately transcend our earthly limitations.

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