Without This There Is Nought
poem 655
Without This There Is Nought - meaning Summary
Desire for Undivided Completeness
The speaker asserts that one singular possession or feeling makes all other riches meaningless, likening lesser wealth to the insubstantial "twitter" of a bird beside the sea. They refuse partial gains, insisting on the Whole as the only acceptable prize because it inherently contains lesser things. The poem ends with a wistful wish to subdivide the heart so that gratitude could expand while the treasured value remains intact.
Read Complete AnalysesWithout this there is nought All other Riches be As is the Twitter of a Bird Heard opposite the Sea I could not care to gain A lesser than the Whole For did not this include themself As Seams include the Ball? I wished a way might be My Heart to subdivide ‘Twould magnify the Gratitude And not reduce the Gold
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