Phoebus Apothicaire

Phoebus Apollo is, in Greek mythology, god of light, prophecy, and archery. He rides his chariot across the sky to make sure that the sun rises every morning. "Phoebus Apollo" became synonymous to the sun for later classical writers.
Apothecaire is the French word for apothecary, meaning someone who prepared and sold medicines, especially in past times.
In "New England Verses," Section VII, Stevens wrote about the "Artist in Tropic" that he is "Of Phoebus Apothicaire the first beatitude: / Blessed, who is his nation's multitude." Normally, Phoebus would end in Apollo, but it instead turns Phoebus into an apothecary. Because Apothecaire is used instead of apothecary, some critics believe that this is also a nod to the French poet Apollo-Apollinaire (Cook 82).
==Sources and Further Reading==
A Reader's Guide to Wallace Stevens, by Eleanor Cook
InDepth Info's entry on Phoebus Apollo