Song of the Silent Land
The speaker asks who will lead the living into the Silent Land, pictured as a realm of perfection where those steadfast in life's battle will carry hope. A gentle herald beckons the broken-hearted toward the land of the departed.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Meditative Poetry · 201 words
First lines
By Johan Gaudenz von Salisseewis
Into the Silent Land! / Ah! who shall lead us thither? / Clouds in the evening sky more darkly gather, / And shattered wrecks lie thicker on the strand. / Who leads us with a gentle hand / Thither, O thither, / Into the Silent Land?
Into the Silent Land! / To you, ye boundless regions / Of all perfection! Tender morning-visions / Of beauteous souls! The Future's pledge and band! / Who in Life's battle firm doth stand, / Shall bear Hope's tender blossoms / Into the Silent Land!
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — Three stanzas repeat an appeal to the Silent Land through questions, exclamations, and direct address.
- Meditative Poetry — The speaker contemplates passage into the realm of the departed, contrasting gathering darkness with hope and gentle guidance.
Tags
mortality · afterlife · hope · consolation
What this Textopian page supports
Song of the Silent Land 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, Meditative Poetry
- Length: 201 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for Song of the Silent Land by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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