“Hope” is the thing with feathers

BY EMILY DICKINSON

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -

And sore must be the storm -

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm -

I’ve heard it in the chillest land -

And on the strangest Sea -

Yet - never - in Extremity,

It asked a crumb - of me.

……………………

"'Hope' is the Thing with Feathers" reminds us that hope lives inside us all. We are never alone in tribulation, as hope is there, singing the voice of encouragement.

Serving as a metaphor, it likens the concept of hope to a feathered bird permanently perched in every human's soul.

The symbol of the bird as hope works well in part because the bird is free and self-reliant, and also a symbol of spirituality