To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee—
One clover, and a bee,
And revery.
The revery alone will
do,
If bees are few.
In this brief, five-line poem we can find several
themes central to Dickinson’s work: imagination, nature, and the inner life
of the mind.
Imagination as Creative Force-At
first glance, the poem appears to be a literal recipe for a prairie—requiring
clover and a bee. But Dickinson quickly shifts the focus with the word “revery”
(a dreamlike or meditative state). -FANTASTICHERIA
She’s not talking about physical creation, but imaginative
creation. A single bee and clover can be enough to evoke the vastness of a
prairie in the mind. And if even those aren’t available, revery alone
will do.
This means that imagination is not just powerful, but
sufficient. It suggests the mind’s ability to conjure entire worlds from almost
nothing—one of Dickinson’s most recurring beliefs.
Minimalism and Essence Minimal
language to express complex ideas
Solitude and Self-Sufficiency There’s
also a subtle celebration of solitude here
Meaning
“To make a prairie” is a celebration of the
imagination. Dickinson reminds us that the external world is not the only
source of beauty and meaning—our inner world, through reverie, can be just as
vast and sustaining. It’s a testament to the power of thought, memory, and
poetic vision.
Comparison: Dickinson and Pascoli
1. Use of Nature as Symbol
- Dickinson uses nature—here, a clover and
a bee—as minimal symbols to represent vast imaginative possibilities.
The prairie becomes a metaphor for what the mind can create.
- Pascoli, especially in poems like "L’assiuolo"
or "Il gelsomino notturno", also draws from small natural
images (an owl’s cry, the scent of jasmine) to evoke profound emotional or
existential states.
Both poets see nature not as scenery, but as a
key to inner experience.
2. Power of Imagination and Inner World
- In “To make a prairie”, Dickinson ultimately claims that the
dream alone is enough—imagination is self-sufficient.
- Similarly, Pascoli develops the concept of the “fanciullino”
(the child within), whose pure gaze can transform ordinary reality
into mystery and meaning through poetic imagination.
They both celebrate a kind of mental autonomy,
where external reality is less important than how it is perceived or
imagined.
3.
Simplicity and Symbolism
- Dickinson's poem is incredibly short, almost aphoristic, yet
symbolic and layered.
- Pascoli’s style, though more lyrical and rich in sound patterns,
often hinges on simple, concrete images that open up to symbolic or
metaphysical interpretations.
Example from
Pascoli’s “Il gelsomino notturno”:
E s’aprono i
fiori notturni,
nell’ora che penso ai miei cari.
[...]
È l’alba: si chiudono i petali
un poco gualciti... Here,
the flowers' nocturnal blooming reflects the mystery of love, memory,
and perhaps even death—just as Dickinson's bee and clover reflect a mind
creating vastness from the minimal.
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