LITTLE THINGS

 

LITTLE THINGS

            “Little Things” is the title of an inspirational poem written by Julia Abigail Fletcher. Also known as Julia Carney, she was an American educator, poet, author, and editor. Born on 6th April 1823 , she died on 1st November 1908.                          Her  four-stanza poem “Little Things” is not really little. It is great and  she is remembered for it all over the world. Many of her other poems are set to music and published in school textbooks.

            Little in her poem does not mean little. It is a metaphor for big.  In fact, most of the big things in the world are collections of little parts. An ocean is an aggregate of uncountable small drops of water. Our nose is not a single lair, but an assemblage of many lairs. The innumerable contents of our world are accumulations, conglomerates, groups, heaps, assemblages, assortments, clusters, piles, etc. Just as an example, a library is a collection of several books on different objects.

            According to an overview Julia’s poem “ emphasizes the significance of seemingly small actions and their cumulative impact on the world of our lives. It highlights how even the smallest acts of kindness collectively create a positive and significant change, making the world a better place.”

            Here is the full text of the poem:

Little drops of water

Little grains of sand,

Make the mighty ocean,

And the pleasant land.           

 

So the little moments,

Humble though they be,

Make the mighty ages

Of  eternity.

 

 So our little errors

Lead the soul away

From the path of virtue,

Far in sin to stray.

 

 

Little deeds of kindness,

Little words of love,

Make our earth happy,

Like the Heaven above.

                                                            *******

G.R.Kanwal

19 July 2025