No Frigate Like a Book

 

There is no frigate like a book

To take us lands away,

Nor any coursers like a page 

Of prancing poetry. 

This traverse may the poorest take

Without oppress of toll;

How frugal is the chariot

That bears a human soul!

-Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson is one of my all time favorite poets. Ever since I was little, her poetry has resonated with me in a way I can't explain - perhaps it's because we're both shy dreamers, who adore books and dream of faraway lands and share a love of music. This poem I've shared here is one of my favorite emilys, and I quite agree with her. There is indeed no frigate like a book to take us lands away, nor any coursers like prancing poetry. But hang on. What exactly is a frigate, you might ask? And coursers, what are they? 

Frigate - a medium sized warship 

How in the world is a book like a frigate??

When I was little, my mom told me that a frigate was a ship. That made complete sense to me, and I imagined books to be little boats that sailed us away to faraway lands, where we could have all sorts of jolly adventures. But recently I wondered if that was all a frigate really was, and so I looked up the definition on my trusty laptop. 

Really, Emily? I asked, almost indignantly. Books are like boats, not warships! 

And somewhere, deep within my poetry book, I think Emily laughed at me. 

Perhaps Emily herself did not know what a frigate really was, I thought. She assumed, as I did, that it was a dreamy little ship, on a voyage to some dreamy land thriving with imagination. 

But no. Deep down, I knew that Emily had known exactly what she was talking about when she had used the word 'frigate'. 

Upon further exploration, I discovered that frigates are prized for being very swift, and have been described as 'adventurous little warships'. They are excellent for scouting purposes, and also specialize in finding and deterring enemy submarines. 

So a book is a frigate? Hmmm. 

We now live in a time where distractions are very easy to come by. Not only are they all around us, in the forms of other people, relationships, and responsibilities as they were in Emily's day, but now our biggest distraction of all usually fit right inside our hand. Phones were a phenomenon Emily never experienced, and I wonder what she would have thought of them. What would Emily think if she knew that one day most of our communication would take place on these little rectangular things, and that they would be a main source of entertainment, taking the place for many of her beloved frigates? And then I realized a profound truth:

Uh oh. Phones are a type of enemy submarine. 

If books are frigates, they are not only ships bearing us swiftly to some enchanting island, but they are protectors - warships. They protect us from enemy submarines, like our phones. We check our phones on average around 350 times a day. They occupy so much of our time, and are a constant source of information, entertainment, and communication. I'm not saying phones are bad. I'm just suggesting that they could be an often unwelcome interruption in our lives, like an enemy submarine. If you're like me, then you're completely immersed in your book when you're reading, and find it hard to see or hear anything else. You don't think about your phone. All you think about is the story you're in, the land you're seeing, and the characters you're getting to know. 

Interesting. What else can be an enemy submarine? I wondered. 

Stress. Loneliness. Impatience. All of these things can impede our everyday lives, and can be obliterated by reading, even if only momentarily. I, for one, always find my stress relieved and my loneliness comforted after a chapter or two or ten. 

Dang, I thought. Books really are frigates. They help with all of these things, and so much more. 

But what are coursers? 

Courser - a graceful, swift horse 

Another swift thing. Emily must have been onto something. But indeed, what is swifter than a book to take us lands away? Books are a way to travel instantly. One moment I could be sitting on my couch, the next I could be prancing over the hills of France on the back of my swift courser. 

Emily goes on to say that the poorest may take this traverse, meaning that anyone can travel this way, without having to worry about expenses or accomodations, for this frigate/courser shall take care of everything. Emily ends her poem by exclaiming, 

"How frugal is the chariot that bears a human soul!"

She was right. 

There is no frigate like a book. 

For me, there isn't anything like a book. Books are a way for everyone, rich and poor alike, regardless of age or gender, to travel, learn, see things, find companionship, and explore. 

And yes, part of me still sees books as dreamy little ships sailing into the sunset.