Hope Is the Thing With Feathers by Emily Dickinson

Good to knowĭickinson lived a quiet, simple life, often in isolation, and hardly left her home in Amherst, Massachusetts. As a Christian, Dickinson sees hope as a gift from God. In the last two lines, Dickinson says the bird never asks her for anything in return, not even the smallest piece of bread. It cheers us up and keeps us warm in the coldest places and in the most remoteentfernt, abgelegenremote oceans. The storm can’t lower the bird’s spirits – for it will continue to sing. It brings us hope, even in the worst storms of life. This little bird sits inside us and sings. It’s just a small, unnamed bird, more like a sparrowSpatz, Sperlingsparrow than a doveTaubedove or an eagleAdlereagle. Dickinson doesn’t tell us what sort of bird – or its shape or color. The first line makes it clear: The poem is about a bird, as a symbol of hope. It asked a crumbKrümel, Brosamecrumb – of me. Yet – never – in extremityhier: äußerste NotExtremity, I’ve heard it in the chillkalt, frostigchillest land – That could to abashin Verlegenheit bringen hier: verstummenabash the little Bird

That to perchsitzen, hockenperches in the soul –Īnd sings the tuneMelodie, Liedtune without the words –Īnd sweetest – in the galeSturmGale – is heard –Īnd sorehier: schlimm, heftigsore must be the storm – In Poetry Corner, we listen to a poem from Emily Dickinson that sees hope as a bird that keeps singing no matter how bad the weather. When times are tough everyone needs a little hope to get them through. Transcript: “Hope” Is the Thing with Feathers

Hope Is the Thing With Feathers by Emily Dickinson