Without This There Is Nought
poem 655
Without 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
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.
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