lyric1891
“Hope” is the thing with feathers
Dickinson imagines hope as a bird living in the soul, singing continuously through hardship and asking for nothing in return.
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sonnet1818
Ozymandias
A traveller describes the ruined statue of a ruler who boasted that his achievements would overwhelm all rivals. Nothing remains around it but empty desert.
lyric1794
The Sick Rose
A rose is destroyed by an invisible worm. Blake leaves the image open: it may suggest secret desire, jealousy, disease or any hidden force that corrupts love.
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