I felt a Funeral, in my Brain

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Poème original

I felt a Funeral, in my Brain Emily Dickinson I felt a Funeral, in my Brain, And Mourners to and fro Kept treading - treading - till it seemed That Sense was breaking through - And when they all were seated, A Service, like a Drum - Kept beating - beating - till I thought My mind was going numb - And then I heard them lift a Box And creak across my Soul With those same Boots of Lead, again, Then Space - began to toll, As all the Heavens were a Bell, And Being, but an Ear, And I, and Silence, some strange Race, Wrecked, solitary, here - And then a Plank in Reason, broke, And I dropped down, and down - And hit a World, at every plunge, And Finished knowing - then -

Traduction

I felt a funeral happening in my mind, and people were moving back and forth. They kept walking - walking - until it seemed like understanding was breaking through. And when they all sat down, a ceremony, like a drum, Kept beating - beating - until I thought My mind was going numb. And then I heard them lift a coffin and move across my soul With those same heavy boots, again, Then space began to ring, As if all the heavens were a bell, and existence was just an ear, And I, and silence, were a strange race, wrecked, alone, here. And then a plank in my mind broke, and I fell down, and down - And hit a new world with every fall, and then I stopped knowing.

Explication

Emily Dickinson's poem 'I felt a Funeral, in my Brain' uses the metaphor of a funeral to explore the theme of mental anguish and the breakdown of reason. The poem begins with the speaker feeling a funeral taking place in her mind, symbolizing a loss of sanity or a deep internal struggle. The mourners' repetitive treading represents the relentless nature of her thoughts, leading to a sense of numbness. As the funeral progresses, the lifting of the coffin and the tolling of space suggest a transition from mental chaos to a profound existential realization. The imagery of the heavens as a bell and existence as an ear conveys the overwhelming nature of her experience, where she feels isolated and disconnected from reality. The breaking of a plank in reason signifies a complete collapse of rational thought, leading to a descent into an unknown realm where knowledge ceases. The poem captures Dickinson's introspective exploration of the mind's fragility and the thin line between sanity and madness.

Dictionnaire des mots

Mot

I felt a Funeral, in my Brain — Poème | Poetry Explainer

Funeral	a ceremony for someone who has died	a ceremony for someone who has died	fyoo-nuh-ruhl
Mourners	people who are sad about a death	people who are sad about a death	mawr-nurz
treading	walking heavily	walking heavily	tred-ing
numb	unable to feel	unable to feel	nuhm
creak	a harsh sound	a harsh sound	kreek
toll	to ring slowly	to ring slowly	tohl
solitary	alone	alone	sol-i-ter-ee
plank	a flat piece of wood	a flat piece of wood	plangk
plunge	to fall suddenly	to fall suddenly	pluhnj