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.
F314
(1862) 254
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Common Yellow Throat William Wander |
This is one of the most well-known poems of Emily Dickinson. The first
line, with its substitution of “thing with feathers” for “bird” gives the
reader an immediate discovery moment. And it seems right, too. Hope is rather
like a bird “perch[ing] in the soul” and, at least for some people, who never
stops. Dickinson was apparently one of those lucky souls whose hope never died—or
at least it hadn’t died by 1862. The essence of hope, as Dickinson portrays it, is that it “never
stops” singing its tune, no matter how difficult the circumstances—and yet it
never asks for even “a crumb” to keep going.
This
is, as are many of Dickinson’s poems, written in standard hymn form: four-line
stanzas with iambic tetrameter alternating with iambic trimeter. The rhyme
scheme is loosely ABAB, but Dickinson plays with it a little. The “er” sound in
“feathers” does go well with the same sound in “words,” although it isn’t such
a close slant rhyme as “soul” with “all” or “storm” with “warm.” The “er” sound
is carried through the poem, however, adding aural unity: perches, feathers,
words, never, heard, Bird, heard, never—and, related, storm and warm.
Can you please explain the second stanza? Thanks. Ali
ReplyDeleteHi Ali - the first step in that stanza is to turn it into 'normal' English. Dickinson here as in most other poems simply leaves out words or changes normal order. If I work to do that I get:
DeleteThe bird sings most sweetly in a gale.
It would have to be a very severe storm
That could quiet the little bird
Whose song has warmed so many people.
Look it over and see if you agree with my interpretation.
Your dedication is amazing, and i love that you answer questions so generously.
ReplyDeleteThis poem has always been a favorite. Indeed, she was lucky to believe that hope would always sing in her life—a free and generous gift!
Thank you, Laura for this and other kind comments!
Delete