In this poem, the "She" of the title and first line seems
to apply to the bee, and this poem presents us with an evocation of the bee's work and
beauty. The bee, according to the first stanza, is above all hardworking and incredibly
industrious, as the bee is the first creature to rise and begin working, and the last
creature to hide itself away at night when darkness falls. So short, in fact is its
period of rest that:
Her Night doth hardly
recompense
The Closing of Her
eyes--
The reference to
purple that your question refers to comes in the second stanza, which uses the colour
purple in a very interesting manner. Normally, in other Dickinson poems, the colour
purple is associated with importance and majesty, such as when Christ's robes are
described as being purple. Note how it is used here:
She doth her Purple
Work--
In what ways can the
bee's work be described as "Purple"? Perhaps Dickinson is saying that the bee's work is
"Purple" because it is so important in helping nature grow and produce, which bestows
upon the bee a position of great importance and magnitude. What is clear, however, is
the way in which the bee's example is one for us to follow, as the last stanza makes
clear.
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