The Bells of Lynn by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Heard at Nahant, the bells of Lynn sound across land and sea at twilight as a fisherman rows ashore and cattle follow one another homeward. The speaker imagines the lighthouse and waves answering the bells, whose ringing seems to summon a spectral moon before falling silent.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Descriptive Poetry · 240 words
First lines
Heard at Nahant
O curfew of the setting sun! O Bells of Lynn! / O requiem of the dying day! O Bells of Lynn!
From the dark belfries of yon cloud-cathedral wafted, / Your sounds aerial seem to float, O Bells of Lynn!
Borne on the evening wind across the crimson twilight, / O'er land and sea they rise and fall, O Bells of Lynn!
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — Repeated addresses to the bells of Lynn organize the speaker's impressions of their evening sound.
- Descriptive Poetry — The verses describe crimson twilight, shining sands, a returning fisherman, coastal waves, and the moon.
Tags
bells · twilight · coastal landscape · fishing · moon · personification
What this Textopian page supports
The Bells of Lynn 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, Descriptive Poetry
- Length: 240 words
- Structure: 1 section, 10 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Bells of Lynn 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