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The world might hold a feast;
But words, when summoned to the test,
Oft satisfy the least!
Lines 17-18: "If words could satisfy the chest , The world might hold a feast ;"
Important words
Meaning: If words could really make the heart happy , then the whole world would celebrate like a big feast .
Lines 19-20: "But words, when summoned to the test , Oft satisfy the least !"
Important words
Meaning: But when words are put to the real test , they often satisfy the least – they help us the least.
"If words could satisfy the chest, The world might hold a feast;"
(If words could really make the heart happy, then the whole world would celebrate like a big feast.)
"But words, when summoned to the test, Oft satisfy the least!"
(But when words are put to the real test, they often satisfy the least – they help us the least.)
Overall meaning: The poet says that if words could truly make us happy, the whole world would be in celebration . But when words are really tested , they often help the least . So words promise much but give little.
