Bruce Hamilton said:
 
>".... a poem titled, "Telling the Bees" by Emily Dickinson. I have searc=
hed
> everywhere for it, and have not been able to find it; so I am beginning=
 to
> think that the author might be wrong.  If anyone knows the poem, I woul=
d love to
clear up this mystery."
>
>
I have not seen the poem to which you refer but I have kept an interest =
in "telling
the bees"  since my first contact with bees over 40 years ago.  I was all=
owed to
watch and occasionally help a cousin with a handfull of hives which he =
kept in his
home orchard; he also ran several hundred hives scattered across the loca=
l
heather moors.  My cousin's mother was a typical country farming matriarc=
h and
she set great store in "telling it to the bees".  Most significant family=
 happenings
were told to the bees on the day it happened or at the latest before they=
 flew the
next morn, lest they didn't return.  Ordinary happenings [births,marriage=
s, deaths,
illness, injury, re-locations etc] were told in plain language but the =
death of the
bees master required the bees to be told in verse and the hives to be dra=
ped in
black until after the master was buried.  I do not remember being told =
the
masters verse but I saw the following verse in the February 1996 edition =
of the
Scottish Beekeeper [I believe it is anonymous]:
 
Honey bees, honey bees, hear what I say!
Your master [NAME] has passed away.
But his wife/son/etc now begs you will freely stay,
And still gather honey for many a day.
Bonny bees, bonny bees, hear what I say!
 
The best attributed poem that I have seen is Kipling's Bee-boy's song:
 
Bees! Bees! Hark to your Bees!
Hide from your neighbours as much as you please,
But all that has happened, to us you must tell,
Or else we will give you no honey to sell!
 
A maiden in her glory, upon her wedding-day,
Must tell her bees the story, or else they'll fly away.
Fly away - die away - dwindle down and leave you!
But if you don't deceive your bees, your bees will not deceive you.
 
Note: I believe in part of England "telling it to the bees" consists of =
reciting the
following verse as part of Wassailing ceremonies held around Twelfth nigh=
t
[early January]:
 
"Gentle bees, we wish you no harm.
We'm just come a Wassailing"
 
I'm new to EDT and this is my first posting to any list - excuse me if =
I have
repeated on a subject which has been well aired in the past - I would be =
 
interested to know of any more good "telling it to the bees" poems out =
there:-)
 
Geoff Allison
Dalbeattie, Scotland
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