--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Little Words When you are gone, there is…" description: "\"Little Words When you are gone, there is nor bloom nor leaf, Nor singing sea at night, nor silver birds; And I can only stare, and shape my grief In li..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/dorothy-parker-700_bird_little-words-when-you-are-gone-there-is_802972.jpg" --- # Little Words When you are gone, there is nor bloom nor… ![“Little Words When you are gone, there is nor bloom nor leaf, Nor singing sea at night, nor silver birds; And I can only stare, and shape my grief In little words. I cannot conjure loveliness, to drown The bitter woe that racks my cords apart. The weary pen that sets my sorrow down Feeds at my…” quote by Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/dorothy-parker-700_bird_little-words-when-you-are-gone-there-is_802972.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/dorothy-parker-700_bird_little-words-when-you-are-gone-there-is_802972.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/dorothy-parker-700_bird_little-words-when-you-are-gone-there-is_802972.jpg) > “Little Words When you are gone, there is nor bloom nor leaf, Nor singing sea at night, nor silver birds; And I can only stare, and shape my grief In little words. I cannot conjure loveliness, to drown The bitter woe that racks my cords apart. The weary pen that sets my sorrow down Feeds at my heart. There is no mercy in the shifting year, No beauty wraps me tenderly about. I turn to little words- so you, my dear, Can spell them out.” [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poet laments that brief language cannot fully capture deep grief, yet she still turns to simple words to express sorrow. **In simple terms:** Small words can’t hold deep sorrow, but we try. Key Takeaway Use simple words to face pain. Themes grief expression limitations Mood melancholic reflective Type poetic emotional When to use this quote - writing a - personal loss - therapy - journaling - memorials Key Concepts language emotional honesty artistic struggle Questions to Reflect On - Can you find comfort in writing? - How do you choose words for pain? A Different Perspective Even simple words may fall short of the depth of feeling. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Loveliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loveliness/) [Mercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mercy/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) [Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silver/) [Singing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singing/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/) [Staring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/staring/) [Woe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woe/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) ## Related quotes > [There are words to describe her, my dear, but one does not repeat them in polite company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carriger/there-are-words-to-describe-her-my-dear-but-one-does-not-repeat-them/) [Gail Carriger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carriger/) > [When you're in that state of grief, any little breeze, any hello, any confrontation, any grazing of someone meeting your eyes, might cause you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/when-you-re-in-that-state-of-grief-any-little-breeze-any-hello-any/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [“Even a lifetime of grief is only a little while in light of Eternity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-begg/even-a-lifetime-of-grief-is-only-a-little-while-in-light-of-eternity/) [Alistair Begg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-begg/) > [If you've got to my age, you've probably had your heart broken many times. So it's not that difficult to unpack a bit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-thompson/if-you-ve-got-to-my-age-you-ve-probably-had-your-heart-broken-many/) [Emma Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-thompson/) > [Just three little words, don't seem like enough to express my love. For someone who smiles to brightens my day, whose touch can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuts-and-scars/just-three-little-words-don-t-seem-like-enough-to-express-my-love-for/) Cuts And Scars > [“Those two little words -- says you -- are the most powerful argument in any discipline: theology, philosphy, even domestic harmony. They are powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-mark-bertrand/those-two-little-words-says-you-are-the-most-powerful-argument-in-any/) [J. Mark Bertrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-mark-bertrand/) > [Being a person of little words isn't bad cause not every thing needs to be said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/being-a-person-of-little-words-isn-t-bad-cause-not-every-thing-needs/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [There are three little words that can release you from your past struggles and regrets and guide you forward to a positive new beginning.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/there-are-three-little-words-that-can-release-you-from-your-past/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [“Cause I've got three little words that I've always been dying to tell you...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/one-direction/cause-i-ve-got-three-little-words-that-i-ve-always-been-dying-to-tell/) [One Direction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/one-direction/) > [“Three little words. My world stands still, tilts, then spins on a new axis.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james/three-little-words-my-world-stands-still-tilts-then-spins-on-a-new/) [E.L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james/) > [Sometimes, small little words can hurt you so much or make you fall deeply in love. It changes everything, nothing is ever the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-small-little-words-can-hurt-you-so-much-or-make-you-fall/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“And lying there, amid the tall, still grass and beneath the star-drunk sky, listening to the just-this-side-of-inaudible sound of her rhythmic breathing and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/and-lying-there-amid-the-tall-still-grass-and-beneath-the-star-drunk/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I don't think you realize how easily you can put a smile on my face with the little words you say.:)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-think-you-realize-how-easily-you-can-put-a-smile-on-my-face/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Two powerful, little words I've learned to use when facing challenges, fears, and doubts— so what? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/two-powerful-little-words-i-ve-learned-to-use-when-facing-challenges/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“Finxerunt animi, raro et perpauca loquentis. (To action little, less to words inclinded.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/finxerunt-animi-raro-et-perpauca-loquentis-to-action-little-less-to/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) ## More by Dorothy Parker > [There's little in taking or giving, There's little in water or wine: This living, this living, this living, Was never a project of mine.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/there-s-little-in-taking-or-giving-there-s-little-in-water-or-wine/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [Writing is the art of applying the ass to the seat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/writing-is-the-art-of-applying-the-ass-to-the-seat/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [Hollywood is the one place on earth where you could die of encouragement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/hollywood-is-the-one-place-on-earth-where-you-could-die-of/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [“The two most beautiful words in the English language are 'check enclosed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/the-two-most-beautiful-words-in-the-english-language-are-check/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [Sometimes I think Ill give up trying, and just go completely Russian and sit on a stove and moan all day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/sometimes-i-think-ill-give-up-trying-and-just-go-completely-russian/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [I was always sweet, at first. Oh, it's so easy to be sweet to people before you love them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/i-was-always-sweet-at-first-oh-it-s-so-easy-to-be-sweet-to-people/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [Now to me, Edith looks like something that would eat her young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/now-to-me-edith-looks-like-something-that-would-eat-her-young/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [Misfortune, and recited misfortune especially, can be prolonged to the point where it ceases to excite pity and arouses only irritation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/misfortune-and-recited-misfortune-especially-can-be-prolonged-to-the/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [The sun's gone dim, and the moon's gone black. For I loved him, and he didn't love back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/the-sun-s-gone-dim-and-the-moon-s-gone-black-for-i-loved-him-and-he/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [There's a hell of a distance between wisecracking and wit. Wit has truth in it; wisecracking is simply calisthenics with words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/there-s-a-hell-of-a-distance-between-wisecracking-and-wit-wit-has/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [Oh, life is a glorious cycle of song, A medley of extemporanea; And love is a thing that can never go wrong; And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/oh-life-is-a-glorious-cycle-of-song-a-medley-of-extemporanea-and-love/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [Enjoyed it! One more drink and I'd have been under the host.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/enjoyed-it-one-more-drink-and-i-d-have-been-under-the-host/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [This living, this living, this living Was never a project of mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/this-living-this-living-this-living-was-never-a-project-of-mine/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [Flowers are heaven's masterpiece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/flowers-are-heaven-s-masterpiece/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [It costs me never a stab nor squirm / To tread by chance upon a worm. / Aha, my little dear, / I say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/it-costs-me-never-a-stab-nor-squirm-to-tread-by-chance-upon-a-worm/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) [Explore all 398 Dorothy Parker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) ## More Bird quotes > [And I have been very blessed, having coached some of the greatest that have ever played the game. 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He stares…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-schuyler/he-unfixes-the-metal-notch-and-slips-his-hand-around-the-body-of-the/) Nina Schuyler > [I would rather learn from one bird how to sing than to teach 10,000 stars how not to dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-cummings/i-would-rather-learn-from-one-bird-how-to-sing-than-to-teach-10-000/) [e. e. cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-e-cummings/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [Surely, God could have caused birds to fly with their bones made of solid gold, with their veins full of quicksilver, with their flesh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/surely-god-could-have-caused-birds-to-fly-with-their-bones-made-of/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [And wheresoever, in his rich creation, Sweet music breathes--in wave, or bird, or soul-- 'Tis but the faint and far reverberation Of that great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-sargent-osgood/and-wheresoever-in-his-rich-creation-sweet-music-breathes-in-wave-or/) [Frances Sargent Osgood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-sargent-osgood/) > [A clock struck out the hour of twelve, and the bird in the hedgerow was still singing as we marched out to the roadway,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-macgill/a-clock-struck-out-the-hour-of-twelve-and-the-bird-in-the-hedgerow/) [Patrick MacGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-macgill/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Meanwhile, the trees were just as green as before; the birds sang and the sun shone as clearly now as ever. The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [When they started to drain a swamp where birds and fish had lived, for a new housing development down the road from his apartment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maile-meloy/when-they-started-to-drain-a-swamp-where-birds-and-fish-had-lived-for/) [Maile Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maile-meloy/) > [The bird with the thorn in its breast, it follows an immutable law; it is driven by it knows not what to impale itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/the-bird-with-the-thorn-in-its-breast-it-follows-an-immutable-law-it/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [Real like sucks the life out of losers. if you want to fuck with the eagles, you must learn how to fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/real-like-sucks-the-life-out-of-losers-if-you-want-to-fuck-with-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If we studied birds ,maybe we could learn to be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/if-we-studied-birds-maybe-we-could-learn-to-be-free/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) [Browse all 4,802 Bird quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Little Words When you are gone, there is nor bloom nor leaf, Nor singing sea at night, nor silver birds; And I can only stare, and shape my grief In little words. 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