Evangeline: a Tale of Acadie
English soldiers expel the Acadians from Grand-Pre, separating Evangeline from her betrothed, Gabriel; her father dies as their village burns. She searches through Louisiana, the western prairies and Michigan, then settles in the city founded by Penn and serves as a Sister of Mercy. During a pestilence, she finds Gabriel in an almshouse and holds him as he dies; the lovers are later buried side by side.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Narrative Poetry, Historical Poetry, Tragic Romance · 11 chapters · 22,411 words
First lines
This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks, / Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight, / Stand like Druids of eld, with voices sad and prophetic, / Stand like harpers hoar, with beards that rest on their bosoms. / Loud from its rocky caverns, the deep-voiced neighboring ocean / Speaks, and in accents disconsolate answers the wail of the forest.
Genres
- Narrative Poetry — An extended verse narrative follows Evangeline from her betrothal through forced exile, years of searching and her final meeting with Gabriel.
- Historical Poetry — The Acadians' imprisonment, confiscated farms and forced transportation under an English royal order shape the lovers' separation and subsequent journeys.
- Tragic Romance — Evangeline and Gabriel remain devoted after their separation but meet again only as Gabriel dies.
Tags
Acadian displacement · forced exile · separated lovers · search journeys · nursing · epidemics · narrative verse
What this Textopian page supports
Evangeline: a Tale of Acadie 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: Narrative Poetry, Historical Poetry, Tragic Romance
- Length: 22,411 words
- Structure: 11 chapters, 56 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Evangeline: a Tale of Acadie by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Contents
- Prelude
- Part the First, I
- Part the First, Ii
- Part the First, Iii
- Part the First, Iv
- Part the First, V
- Part the Second, I
- Part the Second, Ii
- Part the Second, Iii
- Part the Second, Iv
- Part the Second, V