---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A tear that trembles for a little while…"
description: "\"A tear that trembles for a little while Upon the trembling eyelid, till the world Wavers within its circle like a dream, Holds more of meaning in its n..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/henry-van-dyke-2453_blur_a-tear-that-trembles-for-a-little-while_1443199.jpg"
---

#  A tear that trembles for a little while Upon the trembling…

![“A tear that trembles for a little while Upon the trembling eyelid, till the world Wavers within its circle like a dream, Holds more of meaning in its narrow orb Than all the distant landscape that it blurs.” quote by Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/henry-van-dyke-2453_blur_a-tear-that-trembles-for-a-little-while_1443199.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/henry-van-dyke-2453_blur_a-tear-that-trembles-for-a-little-while_1443199.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/henry-van-dyke-2453_blur_a-tear-that-trembles-for-a-little-while_1443199.jpg)

> “A tear that trembles for a little while Upon the trembling eyelid, till the world Wavers within its circle like a dream, Holds more of meaning in its narrow orb Than all the distant landscape that it blurs.”

[Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A fleeting tear reflects deep emotion, outweighing distant scenes in its brief, dream‑like vision.

**In simple terms:** A tear can hold more meaning than far‑away views.

Key Takeaway

Notice small moments of feeling.

Themes

emotion perception beauty

Mood

reflective poetic

Type

literary inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- art appreciation
- mindfulness

Key Concepts

subjectivity transience symbolism

Questions to Reflect On

- How do brief emotions shape your worldview?
- What small signs do you overlook?

A Different Perspective

A tear’s impact may be fleeting, not lasting.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Blur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blur/) [Circles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circles/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Eyelids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyelids/) [Landscape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/landscape/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Narrow Orb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrow-orb-5170060/) [Orbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orbs/) [Tear Trembles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tear-trembles-5170057/) [Tears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears/) [Trembles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trembles-240320/) [Trembles Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trembles-little-5170059/) [Trembling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trembling/) [Trembling Eyelid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trembling-eyelid-5170058/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [Love never reasons, but profusely gives; it gives like a thoughtless prodigal its all, and then trembles least it has done to little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/love-never-reasons-but-profusely-gives-it-gives-like-a-thoughtless/)

[Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/)

> [Him who trembles before the flame and the flood, And the winds that blow through the starry ways, Let the starry winds and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/him-who-trembles-before-the-flame-and-the-flood-and-the-winds-that/)

[William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/)

> [Hell trembles at a heaven-directed eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ken/hell-trembles-at-a-heaven-directed-eye/)

[Thomas Ken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ken/)

> [“The Tower trembles; the worlds shudder in their courses. The rose feels a chill, as of winter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-tower-trembles-the-worlds-shudder-in-their-courses-the-rose-feels/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [My smile trembles And my voice shakes I look down and pretend I'm alright. You are...not here. Not by...my side. Though we understood each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-barroa/my-smile-trembles-and-my-voice-shakes-i-look-down-and-pretend-i-m/)

[Faith Barroa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-barroa/)

> [My hand trembles, my heart does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hopkins/my-hand-trembles-my-heart-does-not/)

[Stephen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hopkins/)

> [As Lord Chesterfield said of the generals of his day, 'I only hope that when the enemy reads the list of their names, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duke-of-wellington/as-lord-chesterfield-said-of-the-generals-of-his-day-i-only-hope-that/)

[Duke of Wellington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duke-of-wellington/)

> [The delicate thought, that cannot find expression, For ruder speech too fair, That, like thy petals, trembles in possession, And scatters on the air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/the-delicate-thought-that-cannot-find-expression-for-ruder-speech-too/)

[Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/)

> [When the people stand up, imperialism trembles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sankara/when-the-people-stand-up-imperialism-trembles/)

[Thomas Sankara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sankara/)

> [“Satan trembles, when he sees the weakest Saint upon his knees.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/satan-trembles-when-he-sees-the-weakest-saint-upon-his-knees/)

[William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/)

> [What you wouldn't have suspected lives &amp; trembles in the air. Those treasures of the day you keep just out of reach. These come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-garc-a-lorca/what-you-wouldn-t-have-suspected-lives-trembles-in-the-air-those/)

[Federico Garcia Lorca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-garc-a-lorca/)

> [“I should not be able to make any one understand how exciting it all was. You know that kind of quiver that trembles around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-should-not-be-able-to-make-any-one-understand-how-exciting-it-all/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Sometimes a word is found so right it trembles at the slightest explanation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/sometimes-a-word-is-found-so-right-it-trembles-at-the-slightest/)

[Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/)

> [“With nothing trembles. To be afraid of nothing for no reason. And having to live with that nothing until dawn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/with-nothing-trembles-to-be-afraid-of-nothing-for-no-reason-and/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“War is sweet to those who have no experience of it. But the experienced man trembles exceedingly in his heart at its approach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pindar/war-is-sweet-to-those-who-have-no-experience-of-it-but-the/)

[Pindar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pindar/)

## More by Henry Van Dyke

> [I know that Europe's wonderful, yet something seems to lack;The Past is too much with her, and the people looking back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/i-know-that-europe-s-wonderful-yet-something-seems-to-lack-the-past/)

[Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/)

> [The Bible does not profess to make men omniscient, but simply to tell them enough to make them happy and good, if they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/the-bible-does-not-profess-to-make-men-omniscient-but-simply-to-tell/)

[Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/)

> [So in the heart, When, fading slowly down the past, Fond memories depart, And each that leaves it seems the last; Long after all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/so-in-the-heart-when-fading-slowly-down-the-past-fond-memories-depart/)

[Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/)

> [It is with rivers as it is with people: the greatest are not always the most agreeable nor the best to live with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/it-is-with-rivers-as-it-is-with-people-the-greatest-are-not-always/)

[Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/)

> [A little while the rose, And after that the thorn; An hour of dewy morn, And then the glamour goes. Ah, love in beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/a-little-while-the-rose-and-after-that-the-thorn-an-hour-of-dewy-morn/)

[Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/)

> [A peace that depends on fear is nothing but a suppressed war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/a-peace-that-depends-on-fear-is-nothing-but-a-suppressed-war/)

[Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/)

> [Love is not about getting - but giving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/love-is-not-about-getting-but-giving/)

[Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/)

> [Favorite People, Favorite Places, Favorite Memories of the past ... These are the joys of a lifetime Those are the things that last](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/favorite-people-favorite-places-favorite-memories-of-the-past-these/)

[Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/)

> [Religion? Yes, I know it well; I've heard its prayers and creeds, And seen men put them all to shame with poor, half-hearted deeds.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/religion-yes-i-know-it-well-i-ve-heard-its-prayers-and-creeds-and/)

[Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/)

> [It is better to desire the things we have than to have the things we desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/it-is-better-to-desire-the-things-we-have-than-to-have-the-things-we/)

[Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/)

> [Jazz: Music invented for the torture of imbeciles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/jazz-music-invented-for-the-torture-of-imbeciles/)

[Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/)

> [Lord, when my spirit shall return to thee, At the foot of a friendly tree let my body be buried, That this dust may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/lord-when-my-spirit-shall-return-to-thee-at-the-foot-of-a-friendly/)

[Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/)

> [Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/gratitude-is-the-inward-feeling-of-kindness-received-thankfulness-is/)

[Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/)

> [In warlike pomp, with banners flowing, The regiments of autumn stood: I saw their gold and scarlet glowing From every hillside, every wood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/in-warlike-pomp-with-banners-flowing-the-regiments-of-autumn-stood-i/)

[Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/)

> [There is a better thing than the observance of Christmas day, and that is, keeping Christmas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/there-is-a-better-thing-than-the-observance-of-christmas-day-and-that/)

[Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/)

[Explore all 165 Henry Van Dyke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/)

## More Blur quotes

> [Having power and being in a position of power can really blur your judgement, and it's not always that clear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/having-power-and-being-in-a-position-of-power-can-really-blur-your/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I liked playing Morph in Mash and Peas and doing Phil Daniels in the Blur Rock Profile was a giggle too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-putner/i-liked-playing-morph-in-mash-and-peas-and-doing-phil-daniels-in-the/)

[Paul Putner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-putner/)

> [One foot in front of the other, counting tiles on the floor so I don't have to focus the blur of painted smiles, fake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/one-foot-in-front-of-the-other-counting-tiles-on-the-floor-so-i-don-t/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [The camera has an interest in turning history into spectacle, but none in reversing the process. At best, the picture leaves a vague blur…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-donoghue/the-camera-has-an-interest-in-turning-history-into-spectacle-but-none/)

[Denis Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-donoghue/)

> [There were some great bands in the 90s like Blur and Oasis, The Stone Roses and all that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-llewellyn/there-were-some-great-bands-in-the-90s-like-blur-and-oasis-the-stone/)

[Dylan Llewellyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-llewellyn/)

> [I like to see the difference between good and evil as kind of like the foul line at a baseball game. It's very thin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/i-like-to-see-the-difference-between-good-and-evil-as-kind-of-like/)

[Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/)

> [Photoshop your life. Touch up the edges, adjust the tones, blur out the background, focus on yourself, and crop people out!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/photoshop-your-life-touch-up-the-edges-adjust-the-tones-blur-out-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Graffiti is like building a career. And there is a dialogue with the other artists out there mostly fellow writers because a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaws/graffiti-is-like-building-a-career-and-there-is-a-dialogue-with-the/)

[KAWS](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaws/)

> [Love blurs your vision; but after it recedes, you can see more clearly than ever. It's like the tide going out, revealing whatever's been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/love-blurs-your-vision-but-after-it-recedes-you-can-see-more-clearly/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Opposites blur and become one. If you open your mind, that is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-wesselhoeft/opposites-blur-and-become-one-if-you-open-your-mind-that-is/)

[Conrad Wesselhoeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-wesselhoeft/)

> [Life was a freight train barreling toward just one stop, our loved ones streaking past our windows in blurs of color and light. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/life-was-a-freight-train-barreling-toward-just-one-stop-our-loved/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [People forgot; it was in the nature of people to forget, to blur boundaries, to retell stories to come out the way they wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/people-forgot-it-was-in-the-nature-of-people-to-forget-to-blur/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [The differences between a tart, a pie and a quiche are a blur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yotam-ottolenghi/the-differences-between-a-tart-a-pie-and-a-quiche-are-a-blur/)

[Yotam Ottolenghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yotam-ottolenghi/)

> [Equipped with cell phones, beepers, and handheld computers, the 'conspicuously industrious' blur the line between home and office by working anytime, anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-ann-davis/equipped-with-cell-phones-beepers-and-handheld-computers-the/)

[Jo Ann Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-ann-davis/)

> [Do you know how many ways love can hit you? So it makes you happy, or miserable? It makes you sick in the belly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/do-you-know-how-many-ways-love-can-hit-you-so-it-makes-you-happy-or/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

[Browse all 275 Blur quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blur/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A tear that trembles for a little while Upon the trembling eyelid, till the world Wavers within its circle like a dream, Holds more of meaning in its narrow orb Than all the distant landscape that it blurs.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Henry Van Dyke"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/a-tear-that-trembles-for-a-little-while-upon-the-trembling-eyelid/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Blur"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/a-tear-that-trembles-for-a-little-while-upon-the-trembling-eyelid/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/henry-van-dyke-2453_blur_a-tear-that-trembles-for-a-little-while_1443199.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/henry-van-dyke-2453_blur_a-tear-that-trembles-for-a-little-while_1443199.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/henry-van-dyke-2453_blur_a-tear-that-trembles-for-a-little-while_1443199.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A tear that trembles for a little while Upon the trembling eyelid, till the world Wavers within its circle…” — Henry Van Dyke",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Henry Van Dyke",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A tear that trembles for a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/a-tear-that-trembles-for-a-little-while-upon-the-trembling-eyelid/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/a-tear-that-trembles-for-a-little-while-upon-the-trembling-eyelid/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
