Joseph Cornell Toward the Blue Peninsula (for Emily Dickenson). 1953.
Emily Dickinson (1830–86) |
It might be lonelier Without the Loneliness— I'm so accustomed to my Fate— Perhaps the Other—Peace— Would interrupt the Dark— And crowd the little Room— Too scant—by Cubits—to contain The sacrament—of Him— I am not used to Hope— It might intrude upon— It's sweet parade—blaspheme the place— Ordained to Suffering— It might be easier To fail—with Land in sight— Than gain—my Blue Peninsula— To perish—of Delight— |
In a similar creative process, long before Cornell, Emily Dickenson expressed her love and fear of accessing this spirit (see poem below). Cornell is definitely responding to Dickenson's poem with this shadowbox---he is allowing her to dream (the empty perch, the window sooo blue and full of hope), while anchoring that free spirit with a solid depiction of reality (there's actually more reality than dream depicted within the box walls). 70 years ago Cornell, and 150 years ago Dickenson, also conveyed some of the same spirit that I connected with in my creation of Phos Hilaron and the Embarkation poem. So cool that I find these two creations after completing my own creations. This whole orchestration perfectly illustrates a large part of why I create: once my eyes are open, I begin to experience the kindered spirits that surround me. It seems I am not the only one to believe the only risk of dreaming big is to actually attain the dream. Even failing to attain the dream is not so bad when everything along the way is part of a great journey, the poetry of life. Not so bad. Where is the risk? Where is the sting? The risk, then, is that I attain one dream before receiving the next...and so far, my dreams more than outpace actualization.
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