Epimetheus, or the Poet's Afterthought
The speaker questions a radiant vision and laments how songs that once brought delight now seem bound to disappointment. Addressing Pandora, the speaker rejects hatred, praises her power to sustain hope and strengthen weary hearts, and invites the muse to wander into unexplored realms.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Metapoetry · 591 words
First lines
Have I dreamed? or was it real, / What I saw as in a vision, / When to marches hymeneal / In the land of the Ideal / Moved my thought o'er Fields Elysian?
What! are these the guests whose glances / Seemed like sunshine gleaming round me? / These the wild, bewildering fancies, / That with dithyrambic dances / As with magic circles bound me?
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — Thirteen five-line stanzas voice the speaker's disappointment and renewed hope through questions and direct addresses to songs, Pandora, and a muse.
- Metapoetry — The speaker addresses songs that once brought private rapture and questions whether their pleasures fade when captured.
Tags
poetic inspiration · disillusionment · hope · Greek mythology · creative aspiration
What this Textopian page supports
Epimetheus, or the Poet's Afterthought 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: 591 words
- Structure: 1 section, 13 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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