“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.

……………………

About this Poem

"'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