Carillon by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
At the Fleur-de-Ble in Bruges, the speaker hears belfry chimes through broken sleep and dreams. The speaker compares them to poems that often go unheeded, yet may move a sleepless listener to tears by recalling cherished thoughts and village bells.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Metapoetry · 646 words
First lines
In the ancient town of Bruges, / In the quaint old Flemish city, / As the evening shades descended, / Low and loud and sweetly blended, / Low at times and loud at times, / And changing like a poet's rhymes, / Rang the beautiful wild chimes / From the Belfry in the market / Of the ancient town of Bruges.
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — Rhyming verse follows the speaker's nighttime listening, dreams, and personal reflections on the bells.
- Metapoetry — The speaker compares belfry chimes to a poet's rhymes and considers how poetry may reach an otherwise inattentive listener.
Tags
bells · night · dreams · poetry · memory · Bruges
What this Textopian page supports
Carillon is listed on Textopian as a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Metapoetry
- Length: 646 words
- Structure: 1 section, 6 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Difficult (College Level)
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