If I Can Stop
Emily Dickinson
If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.
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| Image Source: Wikipedia |
My Thoughts
What I appreciate most about poetry is its ability to say
the most with the fewest of words. This deceptively simple poem conveys, to me,
the essence of a meaningful life. While authors and spiritual gurus across the
world use the power of their prose across reams of paper to tell us how to live
compassionately, Emily Dickinson takes a handful of words and even fewer lines
to share what could make our lives worthy. Her thoughts on spending our days
easing the burden of those who need our support defines the very purpose of
being alive. Of being human. Of being connected by our humanity toward each
other and every living being.
Most of Emily Dickinson’s poems I have read are short and
her optimal use of words is unmatched. The brevity of her poem belies the depth
of its message. Each word carries immense weight and is indispensable in its
contribution to communicating her thoughts.
What makes this poem rise in remembrance over the many books
I may have read on kindness, compassion, and a purpose-driven life is its
distillation of the meaning of life shared in the realisation that only a life which reaches out to others is truly a life lived well. There is a primary purpose that
gives meaning to our human birth and which we should strive to fulfil with each
breath we take: to be there for each other.
To be kind is to know life.
About Emily Dickinson and her poems
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| Emily Dickinson (Image Source: Wikipedia) |
Born on December 10, 1830, in Amherst, Massachusetts, Emily Elizabeth
Dickinson lived a largely solitary life. Even though she was a prolific
poet, only a few of her poems were published in her lifetime. Her poems gain
their unique stature from their distinct features such as short lines, lack of
titles, and unconventional capitalization and punctuation. Many of her poems
deal with themes of death and immortality. Today she is universally considered
to be one of the most significant of all American poets.
Emily Dickinson is one of my favourite poets and you have have captured the exact essence of her poetry - how "the brevity of her poetry belies the depth of its message". You have now inspired me to share one of my favourite Emily Dickinson poems :)
ReplyDeleteGreat, waiting to find out which poem that is:)
DeleteBy the way, I also love the message implicit in this poem - that of devoting one's life to making others happy. You are so right - poets, philosophers and self-help gurus have wasted reams of paper and innumerable blog pages to describe what Emily Dickinson has managed to convey in those few lines. That's what makes this poem remarkable!
ReplyDeleteI do like to lessen the ache of those dear to me for I know I too need that support and it is being there for each other that makes this life worth living. But, I think I would rather devote myself to my happiness and kind of help others make themselves happy rather than take it on myself to make them happy. Does that make me less kind? Not sure, but it certainly makes me human with all my failings;) Haha
DeleteI think it's one and the same :)
DeleteAlso, sometimes it is the small things that we do that count - even if we can make one person smile instead of trying to keep everyone around us happy, we will still have made the world a better place to live in! I think that is another message conveyed beautifully in these seven lines - how little humane acts can make a difference.
ReplyDelete