A science－so the Savants say, 1
"Comparative Anatomy"－
By which a single bone－
Is made a secret to unfold
Of some rare tenant of the mold,
Else perished in the stone－
So to the eye prospective led, 7
This meekest flower of the mead
Upon a winter's day,
Stands representative in gold
Of Rose and Lily, manifold,
And countless Butterfly!
"Comparative Anatomy"－
By which a single bone－
Is made a secret to unfold
Of some rare tenant of the mold,
Else perished in the stone－
So to the eye prospective led, 7
This meekest flower of the mead
Upon a winter's day,
Stands representative in gold
Of Rose and Lily, manifold,
And countless Butterfly!
(F.147/J.100)
[1–6] science:: a description of how to identify an object from the analysis of a piece of it.
[7–12] flower, mead, winter, Butterfly:: in a drink (mead), she analyzed a piece of flower in the drink. It was a butterfly-weed.
[8] mead:: a fermented drink made of water and honey. The root of butterfly-weed (pleurisy-root) with honey and water can relieve cough.
[9] winter's day:: none of the butterfly related plants (butterfly weed or tulip) bloom in winter.
[10, 12] gold, countless Butterfly:: butterfly-weeds yield golden blossoms in volume.
Butterfly Weed. This elegant perennial plant is commonly seen in meadows, by the way-side, alone fences, in stubble-fields. It grows in almost every variety of soil capable of tillage. In the months of July and August, it may be distinguished at a distance by its beautiful golden blossoms. . . . This tea, sweetened with honey and drank freely, or the root finely pulverized and taken frequently in teaspoonful doses, operates as an expectorant, loosening phlegm and relieving cough. ─ The Healthside (1833)