The poppy flower (symbol)
Because of the flower's far-reaching cultural significance, the poppy is a complex, potent symbol of pleasure, intoxication, and sexuality. Although the narcotic drugs derived from poppy seeds—including opium, heroin, and morphine—foreground intoxication and release, the flower's red color immediately suggests a sexual symbolism, as well. Combined, these elements signify temptation: not only can the bee find sexual satisfaction within the poppy's center, he finds a mind-numbing, drunken pleasure in her nectar.
Additionally, the poppy's personification as an attractive woman deepens the figure's symbolism. The flower doesn't simply represent sexuality: it represents female sexuality, as seen through the eyes of a male speaker. Although the poem explicitly narrates a doomed sexual relationship communicated through the bee and the poppy's interaction, it also portrays the lecherous objectification of a woman who will be remembered only for her sexual appeal, not who she was as a person.
The fly (symbol)
The fly, mentioned only in line 15, symbolizes death and decay. While the poppy "helplessly" embraces the bee, the fly sits on the edge of her petal, foreshadowing the deterioration of the flower's appeal. The fly functions as a memento mori, or a reminder of death, as a well as a signifier of the doomed, haphazard nature of the poppy and the bee's affair.
The bee (symbol)
The bumble bee, who can immediately fly to another flower as soon as the poppy fades, represents sexual frivolity. It also significant that the bee is personified as a male figure, which adds to the poem's gender dynamics. The poppy, fixed to her place in garden, lacks the bee's freedom even if she exudes sexual appeal; the bee, on the other hand, is privileged with the ability to move and act and pursue another affection, even if he finds himself intoxicated and helplessly drawn to the poppy at the moment.
