Interlinear Readings of The Bridge (4)
Proem: To Brooklyn Bridge (s. 4)
- And Thee, across the harbor, silver-paced
- Fairly regular meter of this line supports the silver-paced bridge.
- As though the sun took step of thee, yet left
- If the sun took step of the bridge, it will be motionless, yet . . .
- Some motion ever unspent in thy stride,--
- Cf. Emerson, "Give all to Love" ii, "High and more high It dives into noon, With wing unspent."
- Implicitly thy freedom staying thee!
- Here freedom is multidimensional: wave motion, freedom as contrasted with fixity of the bridge, and, probably, the statue of Liberty (l. 4).
This is an interlinear reading of Hart Crane's The Bridge by Eiichi Hishikawa.
Copyright (c) 1996 Eiichi Hishikawa.
The source of Crane texts is The Bridge (NY: Liveright, 1970). Copyright (c) 1933, 1958, 1970 Liveright Publishing Corporation.
Last updated: 31 October, 1996
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