“Nature is what we see,
The Hill, the Afternoon—
Squirrel, Eclipse, the Bumble-bee,
Nay—Nature is Heaven.

Nature is what we hear,
The Bobolink, the Sea—
Thunder, the Cricket—
Nay,—Nature is Harmony.

Nature is what we know
But have no art to say,
So impotent our wisdom is
To Her simplicity.”

— Emily Dickinson

Source: Collected Poems (1993), p. 268-269. The Single Hound.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update Nov. 10, 2022. History

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Emily Dickinson 187

American poet 1830–1886

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Variant: What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning.
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Unsourced

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Opening lines, p. 104
Variant translations:
What is God-given is called nature; to follow nature is called Tao (the Way); to cultivate the Way is called culture.
As translated by Lin Yutang in The Importance of Living (1937), p. 143
What is God-given is called human nature.
To fulfill that nature is called the moral law (Tao).
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Source: Growing Up Absurd (1956), p. 6.

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“Nature is what we see,The Hill, the Afternoon—Squirrel, Eclipse, the Bumble-bee,Nay—Nature is Heaven.Nature is what we hear,The Bobolink, the Sea—Thunder, the Cricket—Nay,—Nature is Harmony.Nature is what we knowBut have no art to say,So impotent our wisdom isTo Her simplicity.”

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Emily Dickinson 187

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