Касту - цвет - заслуги - веру -
Время унесёт -
срок отмерит, без разбору
есть ли это всё...
Как во сне - забыты расы,
убеждений нет -
Смерть щедра, рукой терпимой
клейм стирая след...
Хоть черкес - ему неважно,
если вплыл во сны,
кокон светел - иль каштанов,-
бабочки равны...
Изойдут из смуты мрака,-
смерти столь знаком,-
лишь на миг поверим правде
тающим чутьём...
("Рут Миллер отмечает,
что это единственное стихотворение,
в котором Эмили даёт
общественную оценку Гражданской войне.")
[David Preest:
Emily declares that in death, as in sleep,
all men are equal, whatever their colour or
beliefs. Death is not concerned whether his
victim is a Circassian from Turkey or someone
else. Whether his victims are a white or dark
‘Chrysalis’ in this life, after he has hidden
them away, they emerge as equal butterflies.
Death knows well what we ‘deem unplausible,’
namely that all men are equal.
Ruth Miller notes that this is the only
poem in which Emily makes a social
comment on the Civil War.
In line 4 ‘are’ = ‘exist.’]
*************************************
Color -- Caste -- Denomination -- by Emily Dickinson
Color -- Caste -- Denomination --
These -- are Time's Affair --
Death's diviner Classifying
Does not know they are --
As in sleep -- All Hue forgotten --
Tenets -- put behind --
Death's large -- Democratic fingers
Rub away the Brand --
If Circassian -- He is careless --
If He put away
Chrysalis of Blonde -- or Umber --
Equal Butterfly --
They emerge from His Obscuring --
What Death -- knows so well --
Our minuter intuitions --
Deem unplausible --