Lyric Poem · Hope

"Hope" is the thing with feathers

by Emily Dickinson · 1891

"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.

Full-text availability follows the United States display decision recorded below; status can differ elsewhere.

“"Hope" is the thing with feathers” by Emily Dickinson — quilloak.com/poems/hope-is-the-thing-with-feathers

Quick facts

Poem: "Hope" is the thing with feathers
Poet: Emily Dickinson
Published: 1891
Length: 12 lines
Form: Lyric Poem, Short Poems
Themes: Hope, Inspirational, Short

Craft notes

How this poem works

Measured from the text on this page, not copied from a summary. Counts are approximate: syllables and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, which models General American English, so dialect, older pronunciation, and performance can all change what you hear.

Shape: 12 lines · 3 quatrains
Line length: Lines run 6-8 syllables (median 7). No single length dominates, which is normal once elision and contraction are in play.

Want the rules this form is measured against? Read what makes a lyric poem, or run your own draft through the form checker to see the same measurements on your lines. How we measure · Report a mistake

Text, source & rights

A traceable edition

Full-text display is based on the committed source record and a United States term-expiry review.

Author record: Emily Dickinson1830–1886
Source record: PoetryDB"Hope" is the thing with feathers by emily-dickinson, PoetryDB transcription
Display decision: Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
Publication record: 1891
Text fingerprint: SHA-256 2456e5158c2d5b1e…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

Jurisdiction-specific, never a worldwide claimRights policy Report a text or rights issue

Lyric Poem Short Poems Hope Inspirational Short

Keep reading

The Zero on the Cake

The QuillOak Editors

A zero on the birthday cakecan read like a full stop —a summit marker, halfway sign,

8 lines · lyric

A Birthday Blessing

The QuillOak Editors

May your coffee stay hot, may your phone hold its charge,may small luck find you daily and big luck loom large;may the year rolling toward you arrive like a friend —

4 lines · quatrain

A Wish with a Face

The QuillOak Editors

We painted a room for a rumor,bought socks for a hope,hummed songs to a heartbeat

6 lines · free verse

More poems about hope →