Seal Despair

None may teach it — Any —

'Tis the Seal Despair —

An imperial affliction

Sent us of the Air —

These lines are from a poem by Emily Dickinson titled "There's a certain Slant of light." The poem explores the emotional impact of certain kinds of light. The lines you have quoted suggest that the experience of despair cannot be taught or explained but is instead an "imperial affliction" that seems to come from the air itself. The phrase "None may teach it - Any - 'Tis the Seal Despair" suggests that despair is a deeply personal and subjective experience that cannot be communicated or shared with others. The poem explores the effect of this kind of despair on the speaker and the sense of isolation and loneliness it brings. The poem's final lines suggest that the experience of despair is a reminder of the transience of life and the inevitability of death. The poem can be interpreted as a meditation on the fragility of the human spirit and how we cope with life's emotional challenges.

N E X T

When it comes, the Landscape listens —

Shadows — hold their breath —

When it goes, 'tis like the Distance

On the look of Death —