Community Poetry Journal

'The mushroom is the elf of plants' is an interesting poem. To me it seems both playful, but with a hint of ambivalence in the last stanza where the mushroom is described as an "outcast" of nature. The version I'm quoting here is the public domain old edition of Emily Dickinson's poems.

THE MUSHROOM.

The mushroom is the elf of plants,
At evening it is not;
At morning in a truffled hut
It stops upon a spot

As if it tarried always;
And yet its whole career
Is shorter than a snake's delay,
And fleeter than a tare.

'T is vegetation's juggler,
The germ of alibi;
Doth like a bubble antedate,
And like a bubble hie.

I feel as if the grass were pleased
To have it intermit;
The surreptitious scion
Of summer's circumspect.

Had nature any outcast face,
Could she a son contemn,
Had nature an Iscariot,
That mushroom, — it is him.

Source: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/12242/1 ... _of_plants

There is also a different version that preserves more of Dickinson's original formatting choices I'd encourage you to read on Poetry Foundation here.

I personally associate this poem more with its playful vibe. The idea of elves and mushrooms to me as a modern reader make me think of fantasy novels and children's books. But the Biblical reference in the last stanza makes me think the intended meaning could have been more serious/ philosophical/ theological (?) than that. The middle stanzas make me think of gardeners, though, and less of the 'fairytale-like' idea of elves and mushroom houses.

Questions if you want~

Spoiler

1. Comparing the Gutenberg edition and the version on Poetry Foundation: do you think the difference of word choice in the last stanza, 'Iscariot' vs 'Apostate', gives each version a different meaning?

2. The version of Poetry Foundation retains Dickinson's original capitalization habits. What sort of effect do these have on your reading? How does this compare to the Gutenberg version?

3. What do you think is the speaker's relationship to the mushroom?