Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SEE'ING, ppr. [from see.]

Perceiving by the eye; knowing; understanding; observing; beholding. Note. This participle appears to be used indefinitely, or without direct reference to a person or persons. “Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me?” Gen. xxvi. That is, since, or the fact being that or thus; because that. In this form of phraseology, that is understood or implied after seeing; why come ye to me, seeing that, ye hate me? The resolution of the phrase or sentence is, ye hate me; that fact being seen or known by you, why come ye to me or, why come ye to me, ye seeing [knowing] that fact which follows, viz. ye hate me. In this case, seeing retains its participial character, although its relation to the pronoun is somewhat obscured. Originally, seeing, in this use, had direct relation to the speaker or to some other person. “Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou bast not withheld thy son.” Gen. xxii. Here seeing refers to I, or according to the language of syntax, agrees or accords with I. I know thou fearest God, for I see thou hast not withheld thine only son; I know thou fearest God by seeing, in consequence of seeing this fact, thou hast not withheld thine only son. But the use of seeing is extended to cases in which it can not be referred to a specific person or persons, in which cases it expresses the notoriety or admission of a fact in general, and is left, like the French on, in the phrases on dit, on voit, without application to any particular person.