What does purple represent in Emily Dickinson's poem "There is a flower that bees prefer"?Why did she use purple in the poem and not any other...

The line "There is a flower that bees prefer" comes from
Part Two of Emily Dickinson's "Nature".

Dickinson makes
many different references to the color purple in the
poem:

To gain
the purple democrat

Of orchis in the
pasture

Or rhododendron
worn

Not only is the actual
color purple used, both of the flowers depicted in the poem are purple in
color.

The color purple represents many different things.
According to one site, the color purple represents

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Purple is the color of good judgment. It is the
color of people seeking spiritual fulfillment. It is said if you surround yourself with
purple you will have peace of mind. Purple is a good color to use in
meditation.

Therefore, the
use of the color purple in this poem could reference that it is through the bee's good
judgement in which they chose the flower which is purple. The reference to the "purple
democrat" could refer to the fact that all bees (as a democracy) choose to prefer a
flower which brings about good judgement and peace of
mind.

The only other color mentioned in the poem is the
color green: "before the world is green." The use of the color green typically
symbolizes the spring- a time in which flowers
bloom.

Therefore, the color purple represents the good
judgement in which the bees use to consider the purple flowers the
best.