Mine — by the Right of the White Election!
Mine — by the Royal Seal!
Mine — by the Sign in the Scarlet prison —
Bars — cannot conceal!
Mine — here — in Vision — and in Veto!
Mine — by the Grave’s Repeal —
Tilted — Confirmed —
Delirious Charter!
Mine — long as Ages steal!
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This poem was a real puzzle to me. I’ve read numerous comments posted concerning ED’s other poems and since there were not comments for this poem, I thought I’d add some thoughts. My impression was that the “Mine” of the first stanza were all of groups claiming authority, perhaps in New England, e.g. “White Election” – Puritans believing their authority/beliefs had been granted by God etc. With the “Royal Seal” the authority of the puritans to rule was granted by the King of England. With the “Scarlet prison” an allusion to Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, there, the authority was used to rule over a woman. And all three authorities, had, by this time severely diminished.
In the second stanza ED is proclaiming her own authority with regards to her own personal “Vision” in what she writes and does and “Veto” what she chooses not to write or do. And in foreseeing in her own death, “Grave’s Repeal’ her words will remain “Titled – Confirmed” as officially as any of the above three.