The Service Without Hope
poem 779
The Service Without Hope - meaning Summary
Tenderness Without Expectation
Emily Dickinson contrasts service carried out without hope or expected reward with work that seeks gain or a goal. She argues the former is the most tender and diligent form of labor because it is "unsustained" by promise; its motion comes not from a promised end but from an intrinsic, persistent drive. The poem values commitment that continues without an "Until"—action not conditioned on future return.
Read Complete AnalysesThe Service without Hope Is tenderest, I think Because ’tis unsustained By stint Rewarded Work Has impetus of Gain And impetus of Goal There is no Diligence like that That knows not an Until
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