Emily Dickinson

She Hideth Her the Last

poem 557

She Hideth Her the Last - meaning Summary

Hidden, First to Rise

The poem portrays a modest, productive figure who conceals herself yet is first to rise. She does important "purple" work, then withdraws into the earth with the same worth as others. The speaker suggests that trying to imitate her modesty or to distill her value would be impossible or corrupting, likening human imitation to making a poor "Julep of the Bee." It emphasizes quiet virtue and the limits of human replication.

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She hideth Her the last And is the first, to rise Her Night doth hardly recompense The Closing of Her eyes She doth Her Purple Work And putteth Her away In low Apartments in the Sod – As worthily as We. To imitate her life As impotent would be As make of Our imperfect Mints, The Julep of the Bee

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