3 Comments
⭠ Return to thread

“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.

Expand full comment

Yes, hope has a uncanny way of flickering when intellect says otherwise. As Dante notes in The Inferno, existence without hope is the very definition of Hell - the sign on Dante's gates of Hell reads: "Abandon hope all ye who enter."

So we must not despair - keep that "thing with feathers" fluttering.

Expand full comment

Plus, those of us who took probablility and statistics pretty much know what's in a box of chocolates and the odds for each option.

Expand full comment