Set in an undisclosed location in the woods, “A Murmur in the Trees—to note” is a five-stanza ballad poem that captures the fascination and obscurity of nature. Told in the first-person, the speaker tells her experience with nature using an ambivalent tone. Emily Dickinson’s poem emphasizes the beauty and magic of nature and openness to enchantment.
The speaker of the poem “A Murmur in the Trees—to note” believes that there is a lot more the world can offer than what we physically see. The speaker is in the woods, where she sees inexplicable lights in the sky and hears strange voices from the trees. The speaker says that the natural world is riddled with outlandish unexplained enchantment that exists beyond human imagination. According to the speaker, the world in the woods parallels our ordinary world. For instance, in the woods, one can hear curious sounds and see how trees communicate. Consequently, the speaker feels that the natural world is attractive, magnificent, and puzzling because the narrator feels refreshed and energized while in the woods.
In the poem, “A Murmur in the Trees—to note,” everyone cannot see and hear what the speaker experiences. For instance, the people walking down the road admit they have no strange eyes to see the natural world's magic. However, the speaker says that wise people can experience the beauty of nature even if they do not physically see what happens behind the scenes. In the poem's last stanza, the speaker says that those without interest in perceiving the natural world and seeing its exquisiteness and enchantment can carry on with their simple lives. The speaker concludes that those like her can be patient and continue enjoying what the natural world offers.
