--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: O bees, sweet bees!\" I said; \"that…" description: "\"O bees, sweet bees!\" I said; \"that nearest field Is shining white with fragrant immortelles Fly swiftly there and drain those honey wells.\" — Helen Hun..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/264/helen-hunt-jackson-13421_bees_o-bees-sweet-bees-i-said-that-nearest-fi_533983.jpg" --- # O bees, sweet bees!" I said; "that nearest field Is… ![“O bees, sweet bees!" I said; "that nearest field Is shining white with fragrant immortelles Fly swiftly there and drain those honey wells.” quote by Helen Hunt Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/264/helen-hunt-jackson-13421_bees_o-bees-sweet-bees-i-said-that-nearest-fi_533983.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/264/helen-hunt-jackson-13421_bees_o-bees-sweet-bees-i-said-that-nearest-fi_533983.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/264/helen-hunt-jackson-13421_bees_o-bees-sweet-bees-i-said-that-nearest-fi_533983.jpg) > “O bees, sweet bees!" I said; "that nearest field Is shining white with fragrant immortelles Fly swiftly there and drain those honey wells.” [Helen Hunt Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hunt-jackson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker admires bees and their industriousness, urging them to gather honey from fragrant fields. **In simple terms:** Bees are praised for hard work. Key Takeaway Value diligence. Themes nature work beauty Mood appreciative thoughtful Type poetic inspirational When to use this quote - gardening - environmental activism - teamwork - creative projects Key Concepts pollination metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How does nature inspire your work? - What can we learn from bees? A Different Perspective May romanticize labor without acknowledging hardship. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bees/) [Bees and honey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bees-and-honey/) [Honey bee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honey-bee/) [Shining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shining/) ## Related quotes > [The little bee returns with evening's gloom, To join her comrades in the braided hive, Where, housed beside their might honey-comb, They dream their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-tennyson-turner/the-little-bee-returns-with-evening-s-gloom-to-join-her-comrades-in/) [Charles Tennyson Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-tennyson-turner/) > [Give and Take... For to the bee a flower is a fountain if life And to the flower a bee is a messenger of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/give-and-take-for-to-the-bee-a-flower-is-a-fountain-if-life-and-to/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [A spoonful of honey will catch more flies than a gallon of vinegar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/a-spoonful-of-honey-will-catch-more-flies-than-a-gallon-of-vinegar/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [What is not good for the swarm is not good for the bee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/what-is-not-good-for-the-swarm-is-not-good-for-the-bee/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [If the bee disappeared off the face of the earth, man would only have four years left to live. This is regarded as probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/if-the-bee-disappeared-off-the-face-of-the-earth-man-would-only-have/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [And the only reason for making honey is so as I can eat it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-milne/and-the-only-reason-for-making-honey-is-so-as-i-can-eat-it/) [A. A. Milne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-milne/) > [For so work the honey bees, creatures that by a rule in nature teach the act of order to a peopled kingdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/for-so-work-the-honey-bees-creatures-that-by-a-rule-in-nature-teach/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Bees work for man, and yet they never bruise Their Master's flower, but leave it having done, As fair as ever and as fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/bees-work-for-man-and-yet-they-never-bruise-their-master-s-flower-but/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [“The Icon'ry, Aunt Bees said, held Valleysmen's past an' present all t'gether”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/the-icon-ry-aunt-bees-said-held-valleysmen-s-past-an-present-all-t/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [They asked the Turkmen whether he wants to buy bees, he said Why should I have all that buzz with my money?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/turkish-proverb/they-asked-the-turkmen-whether-he-wants-to-buy-bees-he-said-why/) Turkish Proverb > [Then there is that other appeal, the stronger one, of spending, during certain parts of the year, a ten- or twelve- hour working day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-hubbell/then-there-is-that-other-appeal-the-stronger-one-of-spending-during/) [Sue Hubbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-hubbell/) > [For the rest, whatever we have got has been by infinite labor, and search, and ranging through every corner of nature; the difference is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/for-the-rest-whatever-we-have-got-has-been-by-infinite-labor-and/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [The two noblest of things, which are sweetness and light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/the-two-noblest-of-things-which-are-sweetness-and-light/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [“I don’t even get the term, “the birds and the bees”. How does that properly teach a kid about sex?  You never see a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-sivec/i-don-t-even-get-the-term-the-birds-and-the-bees-how-does-that/) [Tara Sivec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-sivec/) > [As for me, I know nothing else but miracles, Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan, Or dart my sight over the roofs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/as-for-me-i-know-nothing-else-but-miracles-whether-i-walk-the-streets/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) ## More by Helen Hunt Jackson > [As soon as I began, it seemed impossible to write fast enough - I wrote faster than I would write a letter - two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hunt-jackson/as-soon-as-i-began-it-seemed-impossible-to-write-fast-enough-i-wrote/) [Helen Hunt Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hunt-jackson/) > [Ah, March! we know thou art Kind-hearted, spite of ugly looks and threats, And, out of sight, art nursing April's violets!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hunt-jackson/ah-march-we-know-thou-art-kind-hearted-spite-of-ugly-looks-and/) [Helen Hunt Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hunt-jackson/) > [Next time!' In what calendar are kept the records of those next times which never come?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hunt-jackson/next-time-in-what-calendar-are-kept-the-records-of-those-next-times/) [Helen Hunt Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hunt-jackson/) > [Motherhood is priced Of God, at price no man may dare To lessen or misunderstand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hunt-jackson/motherhood-is-priced-of-god-at-price-no-man-may-dare-to-lessen-or/) [Helen Hunt Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hunt-jackson/) > [If I could write a story that would do for the Indian one-hundredth part what 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' did for the Negro, I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hunt-jackson/if-i-could-write-a-story-that-would-do-for-the-indian-one-hundredth/) [Helen Hunt Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hunt-jackson/) > [When love is at its best, one loves So much that he cannot forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hunt-jackson/when-love-is-at-its-best-one-loves-so-much-that-he-cannot-forget/) [Helen Hunt Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hunt-jackson/) > [That indescribable expression peculiar to people who hope they have not been asleep, but know they have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hunt-jackson/that-indescribable-expression-peculiar-to-people-who-hope-they-have/) [Helen Hunt Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hunt-jackson/) > [The new is older than the old; And newest friend is oldest friend in this: That, waiting him, we longest grieved to miss One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hunt-jackson/the-new-is-older-than-the-old-and-newest-friend-is-oldest-friend-in/) [Helen Hunt Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hunt-jackson/) > [Most men call fretting a minor fault, a foible, and not a vice. There is no vice except drunkenness which can so utterly destroy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hunt-jackson/most-men-call-fretting-a-minor-fault-a-foible-and-not-a-vice-there-is/) [Helen Hunt Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hunt-jackson/) > [For April sobs while these are so glad April weeps while these are so gay,- Weeps like a tired child who had, Playing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hunt-jackson/for-april-sobs-while-these-are-so-glad-april-weeps-while-these-are-so/) [Helen Hunt Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hunt-jackson/) > [On the king's gate the moss grew gray; The king came not. They call'd him dead; And made his eldest son, one day, Slave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hunt-jackson/on-the-king-s-gate-the-moss-grew-gray-the-king-came-not-they-call-d/) [Helen Hunt Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hunt-jackson/) > [The wild mustard in Southern California is like that spoken of in the New Testament. . . . Its gold is as distinct a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hunt-jackson/the-wild-mustard-in-southern-california-is-like-that-spoken-of-in-the/) [Helen Hunt Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hunt-jackson/) > [“But pride carries its banner to the last; and fast as it is driven from one field unfurls it in another, never admitting that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hunt-jackson/but-pride-carries-its-banner-to-the-last-and-fast-as-it-is-driven/) [Helen Hunt Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hunt-jackson/) > [There is nothing so skillful in its own defense as imperious pride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hunt-jackson/there-is-nothing-so-skillful-in-its-own-defense-as-imperious-pride/) [Helen Hunt Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hunt-jackson/) > [On the king's gate the moss grew gray;The king came not. They called him deadAnd made his eldest son one daySlave in his father's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hunt-jackson/on-the-king-s-gate-the-moss-grew-gray-the-king-came-not-they-called/) [Helen Hunt Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hunt-jackson/) [Explore all 50 Helen Hunt Jackson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hunt-jackson/) ## More Bees quotes > [Those who have not been stung will hardly fear a bee the same as those who have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/those-who-have-not-been-stung-will-hardly-fear-a-bee-the-same-as/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [Arouse a bee and it will come at you with the force of a dragon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takeda-shingen/arouse-a-bee-and-it-will-come-at-you-with-the-force-of-a-dragon/) [Takeda Shingen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takeda-shingen/) > [Pray look upon the plants and birds, the ants, spiders, and bees, and you will see them all exerting their nature, and busy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/pray-look-upon-the-plants-and-birds-the-ants-spiders-and-bees-and-you/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [You see, years ago I was just an ordinary bee minding my own business, smelling flowers all day, and occasionally picking up part-time work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/you-see-years-ago-i-was-just-an-ordinary-bee-minding-my-own-business/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) > [As the bee collecteth honey with great zest, so the fool collecteth wealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir/as-the-bee-collecteth-honey-with-great-zest-so-the-fool-collecteth/) [Kabir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir/) > [It is hard to imagine a world without bees. It would be even harder to live in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-gardiner/it-is-hard-to-imagine-a-world-without-bees-it-would-be-even-harder-to/) [Barry Gardiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-gardiner/) > [When I heard that the bees were in trouble, the fact that they're disappearing and not coming back to the hive, which is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-schwartzberg/when-i-heard-that-the-bees-were-in-trouble-the-fact-that-they-re/) [Louie Schwartzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-schwartzberg/) > [Precise, graceful, and generous, the poems in SuperLoop, seem to be born out of a deep, careful attention and a profound compassion. Sometimes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-limon/precise-graceful-and-generous-the-poems-in-superloop-seem-to-be-born/) [Ada Limon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-limon/) > [The little bee returns with evening's gloom, To join her comrades in the braided hive, Where, housed beside their might honey-comb, They dream their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-tennyson-turner/the-little-bee-returns-with-evening-s-gloom-to-join-her-comrades-in/) [Charles Tennyson Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-tennyson-turner/) > [“This time of year, the purple blooms were busy with life- not just the bees, but butterflies and ladybugs, skippers and emerald-toned beetles, flitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/this-time-of-year-the-purple-blooms-were-busy-with-life-not-just-the/) [Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/) > [“Bees chase flowers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-l-shreve/bees-chase-flowers/) Tracy L. Shreve > [My banks they are furnish'd with bees, Whose murmur invites one to sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/my-banks-they-are-furnish-d-with-bees-whose-murmur-invites-one-to/) [William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/) > [There are certain pursuits which, if not wholly poetic and true, do at least suggest a nobler and finer relation to nature than we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/there-are-certain-pursuits-which-if-not-wholly-poetic-and-true-do-at/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The Bee Gees are a fly-by-night sort of group.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-gibb/the-bee-gees-are-a-fly-by-night-sort-of-group/) [Barry Gibb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-gibb/) > [“I don't like to hear cut and dried sermons. No—when I hear a man preach, I like to see him act as if he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-don-t-like-to-hear-cut-and-dried-sermons-no-when-i-hear-a-man/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) [Browse all 770 Bees quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bees/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "O bees, sweet bees!\" I said; \"that nearest field Is shining white with fragrant immortelles Fly swiftly there and drain those honey wells.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Helen Hunt Jackson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hunt-jackson/o-bees-sweet-bees-i-said-that-nearest-field-is-shining-white-with/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bees" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hunt-jackson/o-bees-sweet-bees-i-said-that-nearest-field-is-shining-white-with/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/264/helen-hunt-jackson-13421_bees_o-bees-sweet-bees-i-said-that-nearest-fi_533983.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/264/helen-hunt-jackson-13421_bees_o-bees-sweet-bees-i-said-that-nearest-fi_533983.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/264/helen-hunt-jackson-13421_bees_o-bees-sweet-bees-i-said-that-nearest-fi_533983.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“O bees, sweet bees!\" I said; \"that nearest field Is shining white with fragrant immortelles Fly swiftly…” — Helen Hunt Jackson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Helen Hunt Jackson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hunt-jackson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "O bees, sweet bees!\" I said;...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hunt-jackson/o-bees-sweet-bees-i-said-that-nearest-field-is-shining-white-with/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hunt-jackson/o-bees-sweet-bees-i-said-that-nearest-field-is-shining-white-with/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```