The Bridge by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Standing on a bridge at midnight in June, the speaker watches the moon and tide and recalls earlier visits when overwhelming care brought a wish to be carried away. That burden has lifted, but the bridge still recalls the past and the sorrows of others; the moon and its broken reflection become symbols of heavenly love and its wavering earthly image.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Meditative Poetry · 534 words
First lines
I stood on the bridge at midnight, / As the clocks were striking the hour, / And the moon rose o'er the city, / Behind the dark church-tower.
I saw her bright reflection / In the waters under me, / Like a golden goblet falling / And sinking into the sea.
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — Rhymed quatrains follow a first-person speaker's tears, remembered distress, and present sympathy for others.
- Meditative Poetry — Watching the river leads the speaker from personal memories to reflection on successive generations carrying sorrow across the bridge.
Tags
bridges · moonlight · tides · memory · sorrow · relief
What this Textopian page supports
The Bridge 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: 534 words
- Structure: 1 section, 15 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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