Miss Emily's Offer [pp. 373-383]

1886.] AYiss Emily's Offer. 373
with the omission of a couple of words, the her early years possessed. The reference to
first six verses of the fourth chapter of Prov- the sweetness of honey may have been sugerbs, even to the numbering of the verses. gested by her models, while that to the bitThen follows what she entitles "A Sabbath terness of salt and vinegar, would argue obEvening prayer," and, closing the whole, tuseness of taste for what is really bitter,
"I praise God I am your chosen friend L. were it not possible that bitter is used with
D. Bridgman." some confusion as to its signification. The
The one on "Light and Darkness " is the appeal to the temperature sense is unmisbest of the three. takable, as also that in the seventh and eighth
Light represents day. lines above to the sensation accompanying
Light is more brilliant than ruby, even diamond. sudden action of the heart. With Laura's
Light is whiter than snow. emotional temperament, these sensations
Darkness is night like. were frequently experienced and frequently
It looks as black as iron. referred to. The figure in the last couplet
Darkness is a sorrow.
joy is a thrilling rapture. big risopst,wihrslsfo
Joy is a thrilling rapture. seems to refer to the general feeling of well Light yields a shooting joy through the human being, or its opposite, which results from a
[heart]. restful or a broken sleep, and so may be
Light is sweet as honey, but fairly said to be based on somatic sensation,
Darkness is bitter as salt and even vinegar. a thing not often done in literature. To
Light is finer than gold and even finest gold. th i t ee liar o
Joy is a real light.'
Joy is a real light. the writer it seems a peculiarly appropriate
Joy is a blazing flame. one, but these body sensations are so often
Darkness is frosty. below the reach, not only of conscious lan A good sleep is a white curtain. guage, but of consciousness itself, that others
A bad sleep is a black curtain." may find in it no aptness at all. There are
The figures of speech in these composi- no figures of speech in any of the three pieces
tions should be noticed. In the first place, that appeal to the sense of smell or that of
they are so numerous that the few lines hearing. The first is not much to be wonabove contain more than the whole of her dered at, for such figures are rare in normal
autobiography. Then it is interesting to see language; but that there should be none of
to what senses they appeal. More than half the second, is more remarkable. Indeed,
of them are addressed to sight, but require her whole use of figures in these composilittle clearer seeing than is needed to dis- tions is in strange accord with what is othtinguish light and darkness, or to perceive erwise known of the condition of her senses
the sudden blazing up of a flame; in a word, before her coming to Boston.
scarcely more power of sight than Laura in E. C. Sanford.