Heart, we will forget him, You and I, tonight! You must forget the warmth he gave, I will forget the light.
Emily DickinsonRead
Nature is our eldest mother; she will do no harm.
Interpretation
Nature is a nurturing force that always supports and protects us.
Emily Dickinson's quote emphasizes the nurturing aspect of nature, presenting it as a motherly figure that offers care and protection without causing harm. It suggests that we can find solace and safety within the natural world, highlighting the deep connection between humanity and the environment.
In practice
During a speech about environmental protection, you might quote Dickinson to emphasize the importance of caring for nature.
Heart, we will forget him, You and I, tonight! You must forget the warmth he gave, I will forget the light.
I held a jewel in my fingers And went to sleep. The day was warm, and winds were prosy; I said: "'T will keep." I woke and chid my honest fingers,β The gem was gone; And now an amethyst remembrance Is all I own.
I'll tell you how the sun rose, a ribbon at a time. The steeples swam in amethyst, The news like squirrels ran. The hills untied their bonnets, The bobolinks begun. Then I said softly to myself, "That must have been the sun!
My best Acquaintances are those With Whom I spoke no Word
This is the Hour of Lead- Remembered, if outlived, As freezing persons, recollect the Snow- First-Chill-then Stupor- then the letting go---
Luck is not chance, it's toil; fortune's expensive smile is earned.
But the trees seemed to know me. They whispered among themselves and beckoned me nearer.
I know there is pain when sawmills close and people lose jobs, but we have to make a choice. We need water and we need these forests.
Mankind has probably done more damage to the Earth in the 20th century than in all of previous human history.
My heart found its home long ago in the beauty, mystery, order and disorder of the flowering earth. I wanted future generations to be able to savor what I had all my life.
Nature is often overlooked as a healing balm for the emotional hardships in a child's life. You'll likely never see a slick commercial for nature therapy, as you do for the latest antidepressant pharmaceuticals. But parents, educators, and health workers need to know what a useful antidote to emotional and physical stress nature can be. Especially now.
When I was a boy I first learned how much better water tastes when it has set a while in a cedar bucket. Warmish-cool, with a faint taste like the hot July wind in Cedar trees smells.
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