1“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
2That perches in the soul -
3And sings the tune without the words -
4And never stops - at all -
5And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -
6And sore must be the storm -
7That could abash the little Bird
8That kept so many warm -
9I’ve heard it in the chillest land -
10And on the strangest Sea -
11Yet - never - in Extremity,
12It asked a crumb - of me.
“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.
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
Further Educational Resources — Resources for students about Emily Dickinson provided by the Dickinson museum (situated in her old house).
The Poem Out Loud — A reading of the poem by Mairin O'Hagan.
The Original Poem — An image of the poem in Dickinson's own handwriting.
Other Dickinson Poems — A link to numerous other Emily Dickinson poems.
More About the History of Hope — A BBC radio documentary in which experts discuss the concept of hope and its history.