Is Precise Language (Always) Good? [Part III]

Emily Dickinson and Nothing

Here is Emily Dickinson:

By homely gift and hindered Words
The human heart is told
Of nothing－
”Nothing” is the force
That renovates the World－

I love this cryptic poem, which always leaves me with questions.

What is the homely gift to which she refers? The hindered words? What does it mean to be told of nothing? Why is “Nothing” the force that Renovates the …