I taste a liquor never brewed –
From Tankards scooped in Pearl –
Dickinson opens the poem with a paradoxical line. She describes a liquor but immediately states it has never been brewed. The twofold meaning of this image, as the reader will discover, is set up here. The text is concerned with depicting a state of joyful intoxication but immediately makes plain that this is not derived from real alcohol. The second line further elaborates on this idea, describing "tankards" but stating they are "scooped in Pearl" which places this "liquor" further outside the realm of normalcy. These lines immediately play with the reader's expectations of what is to follow. They get the sense that something about alcohol and drinking will be depicted, but its literal form may not be shown. This is important in that Dickinson is already placing hints about how the poem will unfold.
Reeling – thro' endless summer days –
From inns of molten Blue –
These lines show the speaker elatedly passing through a summer day of blue skies. They capture the overall freewheeling mood of the poem. The speaker is giddy, unable to contain her excitement and wonder. This feeling is evoked by the descriptive intensity of the phrase "inns of molten Blue" which highlights the vivid shade of blue in the sky. The use of the words "reeling" and "endless" work to uphold the portrait of the speaker's lightness, fully enraptured in the feeling evoked by this scene. The vibrancy of the speaker's perspective highlights the impact these images are having on her. This stanza functions like a zooming camera lens, pulling close on important details and showing where the speaker's attention is drawn. She is fully wrapped up in her countryside surroundings.
When “Landlords” turn the drunken Bee
Out of the Foxglove’s door –
When Butterflies – renounce their “drams” –
I shall but drink the more!
This stanza blurs the distinction between the human world and the natural one. The quotations underscore the humorous lightness of the comparisons. The "landlords" are shown tossing bees from taverns inside foxglove flowers and butterflies are described as putting aside their "drams" of liquor. The speaker says that even when these analogs to rowdy tavern patrons have had their fill, she will continue to imbibe this natural intoxicant. These images further solidify the impression of this liquor as being housed in the wonder of nature. These scenes also playfully mock the downsides of the intake of actual liquor. In recreating various bar scenes (the removal of drunken customers, the end of an evening) the speaker shows the effects that real alcohol can have. This makes her doubling down on the "liquor never brewed" more humorous, showing her desire to become more intoxicated on an innocent sort of drink.
