Emily Dickinson’s “I cannot dance upon my Toes”
Famously, the poet Emily Dickinson lived a reclusive life. She protected her privacy. In her poetry canon, she often crafted little poetic dramas exploring and exposing the great joy her solitude afforded her. This poem is one of those little dramas.
Introduction with Text of “I cannot dance upon my Toes”
Emily Dickinson’s “I cannot dance upon my Toes” offers five stanzas, setting forth the poet’s famous slant rimes and non-traditional rhythms. The speaker is celebrating, with special emphasis, her personal experiences of “Glee.”
She knows that her readers/listeners will readily perceive her comparison to great performances in dance, theater, and opera. While her speaker does not link her joyous ecstasy to any particular public performances, she experiences great ecstatic bliss which she deems similar to the feelings heralded by such artistic displays.
I cannot dance upon my Toes
I cannot dance upon my Toes –
No Man instructed me –
But oftentimes, among my mind,
A Glee possesseth me,
That had I Ballet knowledge –
Would put itself abroad
In Pirouette to blanch a Troupe –
Or lay a Prima, mad,
And though I had no Gown of Gauze –
No Ringlet, to my Hair,
Nor hopped to Audiences – like Birds,
One Claw upon the Air,
Nor tossed my shape in Eider Balls,
Nor rolled on wheels of snow
Till I was out of sight, in sound,
The House encore me so –
Nor any know I know the Art
I mention – easy –Here –
Nor any Placard boast me –
It’s full as Opera –
Commentary on “I cannot dance upon my Toes”
In Emily Dickinson’s “I cannot dance upon my Toes,” the speaker is creating a colorful poetic drama that examines the amazing joy afforded her through her engagement with solitude.
First Quatrain: The Joy of Dancing
I cannot dance upon my Toes –
No Man instructed me –
But oftentimes, among my mind,
A Glee possesseth me,
The speaker asserts that she does not have the proficiency to dance as a ballerina would, because she has not received the necessary training and lessons that such dancers need to undergo. However, there are times during which she has the ability to experience indescribable joy of her soul. She suggests that such joy may be similar to that experienced through ballet.
The ability to dance upon one’s the toes remains a physical prowess, and very few individuals ever have the ability to reach such a lofty achievement. Because such ability and talent remain so rare, the speaker assumes that those who have the talent to render such performances must then experience “Glee.”
Second Quatrain: Skill That Remains Amazing
That had I Ballet knowledge –
Would put itself abroad
In Pirouette to blanch a Troupe –
Or lay a Prima, mad,
The speaker then reports that if she ever had the special talent and physical agility to dance upon her toes, she would experience a fantastic level of “Glee.” The feeling would allow her to beam her talent as does the best of artists in the art of the ballet.
She is sure that her amazing skill would put the prima ballerina to shame causing that dancer to become maddened. The entire company of the ballet would become astonished by her amazing skill.
The speaker’s exaggeration places emphasize upon her belief that her soul qualities alone are responsible for her actual talent, and she wishes to pay homage to the Divine Essence which bestows on her such abilities.
Third Quatrain: No Fancy Outerwear
And though I had no Gown of Gauze –
No Ringlet, to my Hair,
Nor hopped to Audiences –like Birds,
One Claw upon the Air,
In the third quatrain, the speaker reveals that she does not own gowns and gauze, as the famously public celebrity would possess. She also does not have the ability to sport other fancy clothing as theatrical talent may do. She also cannot have her hair styled into decorous fashion. No make-up artists ever visit her to ply their wares. She will wear no ringlets in her hair.
Because the speaker does not engage in the art of the ballet, she does not have the ability to fully comprehend that specialized art form. She freely admits that she has never engaged and will never experience the feelings that ballet dancers do as they cavort and prance upon the stage “like Birds” with “One Claw upon the Air.”
The speaker seems to express a modicum of disdain in describing the ballerinas as birds hopping across as stage with their hands in the air resembling the claw of a bird. That fascinating image elevates the description as it so colorfully fits the event.
Fourth Quatrain: Keeping Life Simple
Nor tossed my shape in Eider Balls,
Nor rolled on wheels of snow
Till I was out of sight, in sound,
The House encore me so –
The speaker then offers further images that reveal experiences which she has never had and likely never will experience. For example, she has never “tossed” her body in “Eider Balls.” Instead of the fancy, intricate costumes which ballerinas and opera singers wear, this speaker dresses herself in simple clothing.
She has never finished a performance by dancing out of sight of the audience. She has never been called back to the stage by a ardent group of fans as they continue to applaud, prompting her to return to give them an enthusiastic “encore.”
Fifth Quatrain: Heavenly Rewards
Nor any know I know the Art
I mention –easy –Here –
Nor any Placard boast me –
It’s full as Opera –
This speaker is demonstrating that she resides and thrives far outside of the milieu of ballet dancers. She suspects that no one with whom she is acquainted would even have an inkling that she has ever become aware that such an art exists.
Through intuition, this speaker can comprehend that the value of her work and her ultimate worth are equal to –if, in fact, they do not overtake in value –that of the performances that have received so many accolades of praise.
She is convinced that her accolades remain on a mystical level of being. Therefore, she can dance upon her toes –if only metaphorically and mystically –through her God-given talents reserved especially for her.
Through this speaker, the poet has paid tribute to her poetic talent and even, at least in her own mind, has elevated her own talent. In effect, she is averring that she is quite content to be unknown poet.
Even having the ability to be a celebrated prima ballerina cannot complete with the joy she experiences through her poetry creation. Her garden of verse offers her her own stage for performance that makes it possible for her to live a complete life.
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