Maiden and Weathercock
A maiden asks a weathercock above the village church what it sees; it describes an approaching ship and a young man blowing kisses toward land. She identifies him as her returning lover and contrasts his constancy with the weathercock’s changes, prompting it to defend its turning and suggest she will welcome its looking away when they meet.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Dramatic Poetry, Personification, Humor · 331 words
First lines
MAIDEN / O weathercock on the village spire, / With your golden feathers all on fire, / Tell me, what can you see from your perch / Above there over the tower of the church?
WEATHERCOCK. / I can see the roofs and the streets below, / And the people moving to and fro, / And beyond, without either roof or street, / The great salt sea, and the fisherman's fleet.
Genres
- Dramatic Poetry — Rhyming stanzas present alternating speeches by a maiden and a weathercock.
- Personification — The church weathercock describes what it sees, defends its movement with the wind, and teases the maiden.
- Humor — The weathercock answers the maiden’s criticism of its changeability by suggesting she will appreciate its looking away during her reunion.
Tags
returning lover · weathercock · ships · constancy · verse dialogue · teasing
What this Textopian page supports
Maiden and Weathercock 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: Dramatic Poetry, Personification, Humor
- Length: 331 words
- Structure: 1 section, 7 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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- Work identity for Maiden and Weathercock by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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