# The White Bees explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Henry van Dyke Jr..

## What happens

The poem is divided into three parts. Part I recounts the legend of Aristæus, a shepherd favored by Apollo who loses his bees after pursuing Eurydice. Part II describes the arrival of winter snow as a swarm of 'white bees' that cover the landscape, bringing forgetfulness and dreams. Part III concludes with Aristæus' long journey of sorrow and eventual peace, finding rest and a dreamful sleep on Mount Hæmus.

## Themes in this chapter

### Spiritual Peace and Rest

Aristæus finds peace and rest on Mount Hæmus, and the snow brings a 'silver pall' of forgetfulness and dreams.

### Nature and Divine Beauty

The snow is described as 'white bees' that cover the landscape with beauty, and Apollo's gift of bees ties nature to the divine.

### Grief and Memory

Aristæus mourns the loss of Eurydice and his bees, and the snow buries 'all past ill' in 'white oblivion.'

### The Pilgrimage of Life

Aristæus' journey from a sheltered garden through troubled seeking to final rest mirrors life's pilgrimage.

## Character check-ins

### Aristæus

The shepherd who loses his bees after pursuing Eurydice, wanders in sadness, and finally finds rest on Mount Hæmus.

### Apollo

The god who appoints Aristæus as keeper of his bees and later pities him, freeing him from a backward-looking mind.

### Eurydice

The nymph whose flight from Aristæus leads to her death and the loss of his bees.

### Unknown

The narrator who tells the legend of Aristæus and describes the swarming of the white bees.

## Key lines

> Forgetfulness and a dream!

The snow brings a state of forgetting and peaceful dreaming.

_This line is repeated to emphasize the theme of spiritual peace and rest._

> This is life, beloved: first a sheltered garden, then a troubled journey, Joy and pain of seeking—and at last we sleep!

Life is a progression from innocence through struggle to final rest.

_Summarizes the pilgrimage of life theme._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_10_se/chapters/the-white-bees
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_10_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_10_se/chapters