영시 감상 01 | I'm Nobody! Who are you? - Emily Dickinson

[춘수]

에밀리 디킨슨의 시 중에 '무명인 I'm Nobody! Who are you?'라는 시가 있습니다. 모든 사람들이 환영하고 떠받드는 유명인 Somebody가 되는 것이 마치 여름날 개구리가 울어대는 것처럼 의미 없다고 얘기하고 싶어 합니다만, 아이러니하게도 정작 이 시를 소개하는 사람 중에 아무도 알아주지 않는 무명인 Nobody보다는 유명인 Somebody 이 되는 게 더 나은 삶이지 않냐고 얘기하는 사람도 있습니다.

어차피 진흙 세상에 발 담그고 사는데 무명의 늪에 있는 것조차 유명에 대해 바라기 때문이지 않느냐는 해석이 요즘 세태를 반영하는 것 같기도 합니다.

I’m Nobody! Who are you?
by Emily Dickinson


I’m Nobody! Who are you?
Are you – Nobody – too?
Then there’s a pair of us!
Don’t tell! they’d advertise – you know!

How dreary – to be – Somebody!
How public – like a Frog –
To tell one’s name – the livelong June –
To an admiring Bog!


"I'm Nobody! Who are you?" is a short poem by American poet, Emily Dickinson, who wrote during the mid-19th century (though most of her poems were not published until the 1890s, after Dickinson had died). In the poem, a speaker introduces themselves—perhaps to the reader—as "Nobody," before excitedly realizing that the addressee is "Nobody" too. Paradoxically, this hints at a community of "Nobodies" out there. These people just don't make as much noise as all the "Somebodies," who crave attention and admiration. The poem, then, calls out to its readers to say that being humble, withdrawn, shy, or private is just fine. In fact, such a way of life has many virtues of its own. The poem is one of a number of Dickinson poems that questions the value of public admiration—something which eluded Dickinson in her own lifetime.

Summary
The poem begins with an introduction from the speaker, who announces themselves as “Nobody!” They ask the identity of the addressee—which could be the reader—and if they’re "Nobody" too. Presumably learning that the addressee is "Nobody" too, the speaker expresses that together they make a “pair” of “Nobodies.” The speaker instructs the addressee not to tell anyone about this, because other people would make a fuss—which, the speaker implies, is something the addressee already knows.

The speaker then talks about how boring it would be to be a “Somebody.” It would leave nothing private. The speaker likens being a somebody to being a frog.“Somebodies” spend their time talking themselves up to anyone who will give them attention and admire them, comparable to frogs making their noises in a swamp.

Themes

Anonymity and Solitude
"I'm Nobody! Who Are You?” is a short but powerful poem that questions the need for attention, seeking instead to highlight the virtues of anonymity and isolation. In essence, it is a poem in praise of quiet, individual contemplation—the kind represented by Dickinson and her poetry itself. Indeed, though they may never meet, those individuals who choose to be “Nobodies” over “Somebodies” paradoxically form a subtle but powerful community. The poem strives to say that it’s okay to be withdrawn, and that people aren’t necessarily alone in feeling like they want to keep themselves to themselves.

Note how the poem opens with an oxymoron: the speaker introduces themselves just like someone would in real life—by saying their name—except the speaker calls themselves "Nobody." The capitalization of this word subverts the typical social introduction, because the speaker isn’t trying to cement their identity in someone else's mind. Instead, they are joyfully and enthusiastically claiming that they are "Nobody!" In other words, the speaker's name or identity is the absence of a name or identity. This is a proclamation, encouraging others to feel that it’s okay to be "nobody too." From the beginning, then, it's clear that there's nothing wrong with or shameful about being nobody. (This could also relate specifically to Dickinson's acceptance that her poems would not find a wider audience during her lifetime.)

Not only is being a "nobody" perfectly okay, but it’s actually something of a badge of honor. In assuming that someone reading the poem will recognize themselves as a "nobody too," the speaker then expresses firm solidarity with them—which, ironically, means the speaker isn't really alone. Though some people might not want to draw attention to themselves or feel the need to network with their contemporaries, these people still form a kind of community. It exists, says the poem, and should be celebrated.

The speaker knows that this thought goes against the status quo, and thus presents it as a kind of secret, imploring the reader not to tell the "somebodies" about the existence of what's essentially an underground network of "nobodies." Those "somebodies"—people who care about fame and recognition—would tell others about the "nobodies" (that is, they'd "advertise" their existence), which, in turn, would transform those "nobodies" into somebodies—the exact opposite of what the "nobodies" want!

In the second stanza, the speaker calls out being "somebody" as "dreary." That is, it’s not quiet, shy people who are boring—it’s those people who don’t have the inner resources to be by themselves. The implication is that these types of people are so preoccupied with singing their own name to the "admiring bog" all day that they miss something fundamental about being human. While it might be part of human nature to seek attention and socialization, it’s also just as important to know how to be alone, and to find self-worth that isn’t dependent on external approval.

With characteristic brevity and humor, then, Dickinson’s poem makes a bold point: it's okay—even powerful—to be anonymous. Indeed, in a world obsessed with social media and public perception, perhaps the poem is even more relevant now than at the time of writing.

난 무명인이야! 넌 누구니?

난 무명인이야! 넌 누구니?
너도 - 무명인이니?
그럼 우리 둘이 있네!
말하지 마! 그들이 떠벌릴 거야 - 네가 알듯이!

유명인이 - 된다는 건 - 얼마나 황량한지!
얼마나 공개적이야 - 개구리처럼 -
자기 이름을 - 6월 내내 -
찬양하는 늪지에 외쳐대는 것은!

Emily Dickinson의 ‘I'm Nobody! Who Are You?’는 두 개의 연(stanza), 8행(line)으로 구성된 짧은 대화체 시. 이 시에서 겸손한 Nobody(보잘것없는 사람, 무명인)가 되는 것이, 항상 세상에 대해 얼마나 자신이 얼마나 대단한지 떠벌림에 의해 자신의 지위를 유지해야만 하는 오만한 Somebody(대단한 사람, 유명인)가 되는 것보다 더 낫다고 말하고 있다.
​
1연(first stanza)
Emily Dickinson은 첫 줄에서 나(I)를 사적 생활을 중시하고 사심이 없으며, 세속의 사람들로부터 인정을 받는 것을 중요하게 여기지 않는 Nobody라고 대담하게 선언하면서, Nobody가 되는 것이 Somebody가 되는 것보다 더 낫다고 Nobody에 대해 긍정적 태도로 보고 있다.

2행에서 ‘너도 - 보잘것없는 사람이니?(Are you – Nobody – too?)’라고 묻고 나서, 3행에서 ‘그럼 우리 둘이 있네!(Then there's a pair of us!)’라고 말함에 의해 비슷한 성향의 ‘너와 나’ 두 명의 Nobody의 말 없는 연대·결속이 존재함을 암시

4행에서, ‘말하지 마! 그들이 떠벌릴 거야 - 네가 알듯이!(Don't tell! they'd advertise – you know!)’라고 말함에 의해서 두 명의 Nobody 사이의 말 없는 연대·결속은 세상에 대해 자신이 얼마나 대단한지 떠벌릴 필요가 없음을 암시

Nobody는 명성이나 세간의 관심을 추구하지 않지만, 인류에 중요한 기여를 하고 행복한 삶을 살 수 있는 사람을 암시

2연(second stanza)

2연은 Nobody와 대조되는 Somebody를 보여주는 대조법, frog(개구리)를 활용한 직유법(simile), 5행과 6행에서 "How", 7행과 8행에서 "To"를 반복해서 행의 첫머리에 사용하는 ‘수구(首句)반복(anaphora)’이 사용

5행에서 Nobody와 대조되는 Somebody가 도입되며, Somebody는 시끄럽게 반복적·이기적으로 자신을 선전하고(떠벌리고), 명성과 대중의 칭찬을 갈망하는 존재

frog(개구리)라는 단어를 직유법(simile)으로 사용하여, Somebody를 칭찬의 늪 속에서 자신의 영역을 과시하거나 짝의 흥미를 끌기 위해 공개적으로 시끄럽게 반복적으로 의미 없이 울어대는 이기적인 존재로 부정적으로 묘사

Emily Dickinson은 Nobody가 되는 것이 Somebody가 되는 것보다 더 낫고, Somebody가 되는 것은 황량하고(dreary) 따분하다고 보고 있다.

운(rhyme)
1행의 ‘you’와 2행의 ‘too’, 6행의 ‘frog’와 2행의 ‘bog’가 운을 이루고 있다.


에밀리 디킨슨(Emily Dickinson)은 19세기를 대표하는 미국의 여류 시인으로, 영미 시를 즐겨 읽는 사람에게는 이미 친숙한 인물일 것이다. 그녀는 평생을 독신으로 사회와 독립된 삶을 살았으며, 가까운 몇 인물을 제외하고는 극히 경계적인 태도를 보인 것으로 알려져 있다.

손님을 맞이할 때 방문을 열어두고 직접 대면하지 않은 채 대화를 나누었다거나, 죽을 때까지 흰옷만 고집했다는 일화는 그녀에 대한 우리의 호기심을 자극한다.

또한 그녀는 19세기 인물이지만 당시 주류 시풍이었던 낭만적 성향보다도 17세기 형이상학적(metaphysical) 시풍에 더 가까운 작품을 남기는 등 그녀만의 독특한 시도를 수없이 보여준다.

[창밖]

Thank you 춘수님,
한 줄 한 줄 읽어보면 공부도 되겠어요.

[울랄라]

나이가 들수록 영어든 한글이든 책 읽기랑은 소원해지는 느낌이네요. . I look up words and idioms constantly, no matter how much I try, I don't seem to remember or improve my English too much. I feel my age these days.