Summary
The third stanza moves away from the general "many" and refers explicitly to the speaker ("I've"). The speaker describe her long journeys to the far reaches of land and sea, stating that the bird's song has kept her company throughout. She then notes that this support has never come at any cost. The bird's efforts are wholly selfless.
Analysis
In the third stanza, the perspective of the text becomes more personal. The speaker describes the instances in which she has has heard the bird's song. These are harrowing moments: "I’ve heard it in the chillest land - / And on the strangest Sea -" affixed with the same sort of frightening intensity as the gale-strength winds of the previous stanzas. These lines are shorthand referencing the unforgiving coldness of the tundra and the crashing waves of a rolling ocean. These moments demonstrate the range of situations in which the bird ("hope") has been able to provide solace to the speaker. This is an expansion upon the earlier image of it withstanding powerful winds. The closing lines of the stanza ("Yet - never - in Extremity, / It asked a crumb - of me.") adds one final new idea. After categorizing those previous adventures as "extremity," the speaker goes on to say that the bird's song was given without any caveats, never asking for even "a crumb." This adds another dimension to the bird's generosity. Not only is the bird's song durable and strong (always unceasing, even in the face of hardship) but it is given without any request. The bird does not seek repayment. It is a gift given selflessly. The specificity of the speaker's claim also makes it appear more tangible. This bird's song (the sonic representation of hope) is not an abstract idea, it is something the speaker has experienced for herself. In the same way the bird does not ask for a crumb, hope makes no demands of its beholder. It is not tethered to expectation or clear outcomes; instead, it serves simply to help the individual weather stormy moments.
While the poem can be read as having an optimistic ending, what it is really about is the preservation of hope. Dickinson does not appear to be saying that individual lives always improve. Instead, she seems to be capturing the way that hope endures even in the bleakest of circumstances. By making the notion of hope into this singing bird, she has created a nuanced visualization of the way people are able to hold onto their perseverance. The bird will keep signing no matter how dark things seem to become. This is the true optimism of the poem. It makes no promises of how things will turn out, but shows how endlessly resilient hope can be.
