illustrated portrait of English poet Emily Dickinson

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what does purple refer to in emily dickinson's poem"the mountains - ; grow unnoticed" ? what does it symbolize here? Why she uses purple in this poem?

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The Mountains—grow unnoticed—
Their Purple figures rise
Without attempt—Exhaustion—
Assistance—or Applause—

In Their Eternal Faces
The Sun—with just delight
Looks long—and last—and golden—
For fellowship—at night—

This is one of Emily Dickinson's poems that exalts the spirituality of Nature as it rises almost magically into the sky.  Certainly, the first two lines of Miss Dickinson's poem remind the American reader of lines from the song "America the Beautiful" in which one line of the lyrics includes "....For purple mountain majesties...." suggesting also the concept of royalty in its superiority as the color of the crown chakra is violet and in olden times only kings and queens were allowed to wear purple.

Purple also connects with the infinite consciousness.  This spiritual understanding is also something that the purple of the mountains symbolizes.  For, Dickinson writes that the sun with its "just delight" in the mountains, looks longingly at the mountains for their "fellowship."

 


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