“Nature” is what We see—

“Nature” is what We see—
The Hill—the Afternoon—
Squirrel—Eclipse—the Bumble bee—
Nay—Nature is Heaven—

“Nature” is what We hear—
The Bobolink—the Sea—
Thunder—the Cricket—
Nay—Nature is Harmony—

“Nature” is what We know—
But have no art to say—
So impotent Our Wisdom is
To Her Sincerity—


    -F721, J668, Fascicle 35, 1863


Here is a poem that contends with what we think “nature” is. It begins with “Nature” in quotes and lists some examples of things we “see.” But then the last line of the stanza negates this idea, “Nay,” and tells us it is something else altogether. We may think nature is what we see, but the reality of it is beyond what we see. It’s actually Heaven.

A list of what it is we "see" in this poem is given: Hill, Afternoon, Squirrel, Eclipse, Bumble Bee. “Eclipse” inserted among this list makes us question everything else on it. During an eclipse we think we are seeing the sun disappear, but it is only a trick on the eyes. The poem suggests that if the sun is actually there beyond our seeing, then what else is it that we are we missing when we look?

If the eclipse is hiding the sun, then what is the hill, afternoon, squirrel and Bumblebee hiding? The final line, where Nature comes out from behind its quotation marks, tells us what we are missing with our eyes: Heaven.

It’s probably worth getting into the symbolism of the other things listed here. Dickinson’s oeuvre is deep enough that one could make a whole study of any of these symbols. She used the word Eclipse in nine poems for instance. Each usage furthers our understanding of what Dickinson meant by this word. Or take the bumble bee for another example. The bumble bee, in one of Dickinson’s earliest extant poems, F21, is a substitute for God the Father. In other poems, it appears to be a lover. The Bee was very important to Dickinson. The same could be said for the rest of the nouns in this poem. They all mean more than what we at first take them for, and not just symbolically. They, which is to say We, have divinity within, just as the Eclipse has the Sun behind it.

The second stanza carries a similar idea, but this time we focus on the sense of hearing. Another poem in this same fascicle, F718, explored the sense of hearing, and here we take the ideas therein even further. This list of things we hear is interesting because we get sounds large and loud like the sea and thunder, juxtaposed with small and quieter sounds like the bobolink and the cricket. That’s what we hear in “nature,” in quotation marks. But Nature, beyond quotation marks, is beyond the singular sound; it is the way everything blends together, from small and soft to loud and grand. This harmony can only be experienced in the moment, and it goes deeper than mere hearing.

This sets us up for the third stanza. “Nature” is what we know. But again, that nature is in quotes. So what do we know? It is beyond even the great poet’s art to say. She may come closer than most at holding a mirror up to nature, but in the end she admits that she can’t match the “sincerity” of nature.

It’s worth taking a look at the term Sincere in the Dickinson Lexicon.

sincere (-er), adj. [Latin 'clean, pure, sound'.]

A. Honest; straightforward; undeceiving; serious; in earnest; speaking plainly; telling the truth.

B. Clear; pure; true; real; genuine.

There is another version of this poem which is nearly identical except it ends with the word “Simplicity” instead of “Sincerity.” Both words work well. Simplicity points toward the unified quality of nature. Any “art” merely complicates it. But I like "Sincere" best. I’ve never thought of nature as sincere before. By the way, this second version of the poem, the one with "Simplicity," was given to Sue Dickinson, and it is signed “Emily” in such a way that it appears as if the name echoes the last word in the poem, rhyming with Simplicity.

A note about the phrase “Nay, Nature.” We first see this formulation in F703, the negative “Nay” pausing and then elongating into ineffable “Nature.” In this slightly later poem we see it used twice. The sound play of it must have stuck with the poet. Here she uses it beautifully, and perhaps even crafts the poem around it. 

Nature is far more than what we think it is. 

   -/)dam Wade l)eGraff