Resignation by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Mourning a beloved child, the speaker presents death as a passage to life under Christ’s care and imagines her growing into a maiden before their reunion. The speaker resolves to bear grief patiently while allowing sorrow its expression.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Elegiac Poetry, Religious Poetry · 508 words
First lines
There is no flock, however watched and tended, / But one dead lamb is there! / There is no fireside, howsoe'er defended, / But has one vacant chair!
The air is full of farewells to the dying, / And mournings for the dead; / The heart of Rachel, for her children crying, / Will not be comforted!
Genres
- Elegiac Poetry — The speaker mourns a beloved child, preserves her memory, and acknowledges anguish that patience cannot wholly silence.
- Religious Poetry — The speaker finds consolation in the belief that the child lives under Christ’s rule, guided by angels, and awaits a heavenly reunion.
Tags
grief · child loss · Christian faith · afterlife · remembrance · patience
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Resignation is listed on Textopian as a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, dated Date unknown.
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- Work type: Poem
- Author: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Elegiac Poetry, Religious Poetry
- Length: 508 words
- Structure: 1 section, 13 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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