"The Butterfly's Numidian Gown" By Emily Dickinson [Analysis]

The Butterfly's Numidian Gown[1] With spots of Burnish roasted on[2] Is proof against the Sun[3] Yet prone to shut its spotted Fan[4] And panting on a Clover lean[5] As if it were undone [6]
Poem 1387 [F1395] "The Butterfly's Numidian Gown" Analysis by David Preest [Poem]

The butterfly, with its 'Numidian Gown' from North Africa, cannot get sunburnt, but it does need to rest on a clover leaf occasionally. If Emily is still using the butterfly as a symbol of our immortality as she seemed to be in poems 1244 and 1266, she may be hinting in this poem that we need to rest occasionally on our journey to heaven.
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