This poem explores the theme of unfulfilled longing and the elusiveness of happiness. The speaker describes a dream that recedes further away with each attempt to grasp it, leaving only a sense of disappointment and disillusionment. The poem suggests that the pursuit of happiness can be a futile endeavor, as the more we strive for it, the more it slips through our fingers.
By Emily Dickinson · First published 1890 · Genre: Poetry, Philosophical, Nature