Wild Nights Meaning

Memories not Forgotten Have you ever had a night that is so unforgettable and wondrous that you often look back on it and wish for such a time to return? This is the case for the speaker in Emily Dickinson’s poem, “Wild Nights – Wild Nights!” The person who wrote this obviously longs to get back with the person with whom they spent these wild nights. The poem cannot be read in a literal sense, the reader must look past the literal meaning into a more figurative and symbolic meaning. In this poem that deeper meaning is of a sexual fantasy.
One idea in which this poem can be interpreted as a sexual fantasy is the first 2 stanzas, “Wild Nights – Wild Nights/ Were I with thee/ Wild Nights should be/ Our luxury!” (Lines 1-4). The wild nights mentioned make one think of intimate encounters. Also, since they say, “Were I with thee”, it seems as if they have previously shared one such night. In the work, “A Brief Analysis of the Concept of Love in the Poems of Emily Dickinson”, the authors KE Jian-hua and GE Su make a valid point by saying, “‘Wild Nights should be Our Luxury’ implies that the treasure nights were let freely for the purpose to fulfill each other’s desire (“Luxury”
implies lust). What is more, the erotic image is self-evident. According to Freudian research, sea is the symbol of male. As symbols of male and female lovers, the boat and sea coalesce into wild consummated love” (180).
The next part of the poem shows the sense of rebellion that this lover has. They say, “Futile - the- winds/ To a heart in port-” (Lines 5-6). This excerpt is well analyzed by Jian-hua and Su. They said, “Unavailing are the ‘winds’ the obstacles to a ‘heart in port’ which means that whatever the obstacles in life are for these lovers, they are meaningless because their hearts are in port and parked one to another” (180). The next lines, “Done with the Compass- /Done with the chart!” can be interpreted as the sense of carefree rebellion that the speaker possesses. The compass can be interpreted as a moral compass telling them that this is not proper. The chart can be a direction that they are supposed to go, maybe as the life that society has set forth for them. This would make sense because Emily Dickinson lived in the strict and conservative 19th century. A love affair such as the one outlined in this poem, would have been considered very scandalous and it would have been forbidden so if she is done with the given plan, the “chart”, she would be going against the grain.
Something that is not expressly stated in this poem that the reader must ponder to discover, is the sex of the speaker which helps in order to gain a better understanding of the content of the poem.
It seems, after analyzing the poem, as if the speaker is a woman because of the last stanza, “Rowing in Eden! / Ah! The Sea! / Might I but moor/ To-night in Thee!” (Lines 9 -12). As said before by Jian-hua and Su, the sea can be symbolic for a male. This is significant because saying, “Ah! The Sea!”, given that the sea is representative of a male, it seems as if it is a woman pining for her companion. Also, it is important to know that Mooring is the act of securing a boat in place. This has a deeper meaning than actually tying the boat to the dock; it can also be taken in a sexual
way.
One possibility that can be speculated about the identity of the speaker is that it is Emily Dickinson herself expressing her desires. Although Emily was never married, she was suspected to have had a love affair with Reverend Charles Wadsworth. However, Wadsworth was married and this prevented Emily from ever forming a legitimate relationship with him. If this was truly a poem about her affair with him, although it is unknown if she actually had sexual relations with him, then it would make perfect sense. The first case in which it seems Dickinson could possibly be the speaker is in the first stanza when the speaker says, “Were I with thee/ Wild Nights should be/ Our luxury!” (Lines 2-4). If we assume Dickinson is the speaker, saying that if she were with him could mean more than just being together. It could mean if it were her as his wife or person that society acknowledged as his significant other, they could freely have these wild nights that she is describing. It could be a luxury because it is without guilt and judgment.
Another section of the poem that would make sense if Dickinson were the speaker is the second stanza when the speaker says, “Futile - the- winds/ To a heart in port-” (Lines 5-6). This can take on a meaning of saying that the winds, which can represent the opinions of others that attempt to sway her, are useless because her heart is tied to him. Also, the next part of the stanza, “Done with the Compass- /Done with the chart!” (Lines 7-8) can represent, as previously said, her belief that society should not influence her love affair and she does not care about what they believe. They should be together regardless and she has abandoned the set course so he should as well. This poem by Emily Dickinson is representative of a lover’s longing for their beloved one. When reading this poem, one must look beyond the literal meaning to a much deeper and hidden meaning. The writer is expressing her forbidden longing for those “wild nights” that she once had with the person to whom she wrote this. It is a love so strong and binding that she says if they could be together, she would break forth from the beaten path and risk societal disgrace. This poem is one of passion and sexual desire. It is possible that Emily Dickinson herself is the speaker of this poem although, just like many things about Emily Dickinson, this will remain a secret and mystery to all.

Work Cited
Jian-Huo, KE, and GE Su. “A Brief Analysis of the Concept of Love in the Poems of Emily Dickinson.” US-China Foreign Language 9.3 (March 2011): 178-82. Ebsco. Web. 13 Feb. 2012.