English IV: "'Hope' is the thing with feathers" by Emily Dickinson, and "When I Was One-and-Twenty" by A. E. Housman

Emily Dickinson's poem "'Hope'" is the thing with feathers" celebrates the enduring power of hope, and A. E. Housman's bittersweet poem "When I Was One-and-Twenty" reflects on wisdom gained through youthful mistakes.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. feather
    a light growth that makes up the covering of a bird's body
    “Hope” is the thing with feathers –
    That perches in the soul –
    And sings the tune without the words –
    And never stops – at all –
    "Hope" is the thing with feathers
  2. perch
    sit, as on a branch
    “Hope” is the thing with feathers –
    That perches in the soul –
    And sings the tune without the words –
    And never stops – at all –
    "Hope" is the thing with feathers
  3. soul
    the immaterial part of a person
    “Hope” is the thing with feathers –
    That perches in the soul –
    And sings the tune without the words –
    And never stops – at all –
    "Hope" is the thing with feathers
  4. gale
    a strong wind moving 34–40 knots
    And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
    And sore must be the storm –
    That could abash the little Bird
    That kept so many warm –
    "Hope" is the thing with feathers
  5. sore
    roused to anger
    And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
    And sore must be the storm –
    That could abash the little Bird
    That kept so many warm –
    "Hope" is the thing with feathers
  6. abash
    cause to be embarrassed
    And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
    And sore must be the storm –
    That could abash the little Bird
    That kept so many warm –
    "Hope" is the thing with feathers
  7. extremity
    a condition or state beyond the norm
    I’ve heard it in the chillest land –
    And on the strangest Sea –
    Yet – never – in Extremity,
    It asked a crumb – of me.
    "Hope" is the thing with feathers
  8. wise
    having intelligence and discernment
    When I was one-and-twenty
    I heard a wise man say,
    “Give crowns and pounds and guineas
    But not your heart away;
    Give pearls away and rubies
    But keep your fancy free.”
    "When I Was One-and-Twenty"
  9. fancy
    imagination, especially of a casual or whimsical kind
    When I was one-and-twenty
    I heard a wise man say,
    “Give crowns and pounds and guineas
    But not your heart away;
    Give pearls away and rubies
    But keep your fancy free.”
    "When I Was One-and-Twenty"
  10. in vain
    without a successful result or effect
    When I was one-and-twenty
    I heard him say again,
    “The heart out of the bosom
    Was never given in vain;
    ’Tis paid with sighs a plenty
    And sold for endless rue.”
    "When I Was One-and-Twenty"
  11. rue
    sadness associated with some wrong or disappointment
    When I was one-and-twenty
    I heard him say again,
    “The heart out of the bosom
    Was never given in vain;
    ’Tis paid with sighs a plenty
    And sold for endless rue.”
    "When I Was One-and-Twenty"
Created on Fri Apr 17 15:40:23 EDT 2026 (updated Mon Aug 24 12:29:22 EDT 2026)

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