St. John's, Cambridge
Standing beneath a tree shading the western window of St. John's Chapel, the speaker recalls the words “Behold thy son!” and envisions someone still wandering and awaiting a long-delayed advent. The sheltering branches seem to teach love and offer a blessing of God's enduring peace.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Sonnet, Religious Poetry · 165 words
First lines
I stand beneath the tree, whose branches shade / Thy western window, Chapel of St. John! / And hear its leaves repeat their benison / On him, whose hand if thy stones memorial laid; / Then I remember one of whom was said / In the world's darkest hour, "Behold thy son! " / And see him living still, and wandering on / And waiting for the advent long delayed. / Not only tongues of the apostles teach / Lessons of love and light, but these expanding / And sheltering boughs with all their leaves implore, / And say in language clear as human speech, / "The peace of God, that passeth understanding, / Be and abide with you forevermore! "
What this Textopian page supports
St. John's, Cambridge 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: Sonnet, Religious Poetry
- Length: 165 words
- Structure: 1 section, 1 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for St. John's, Cambridge 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
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Genres
- Sonnet — Fourteen rhymed lines move from the speaker's position beneath a tree to the blessing voiced by its branches.
- Religious Poetry — The speaker connects the tree's shelter with apostolic teaching, a delayed advent, and a blessing of God's peace.
Tags
sonnet · chapel · trees · blessings · apostles · divine peace · advent