The Children's Crusade
A speaker questions the history of unarmed children journeying to the Holy Land and recalls the lingering influence of a preacher of holy wars. Young crusaders leave Cologne and grow weary among snowy mountains, where a waterfall seems to warn them to return home. Their leader urges them onward, and an avalanche, winds, waters, and gathering clouds fill them with fear.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Narrative Poetry, Historical Poetry · 1,234 words
First lines
[A Fragment.]
I
Genres
- Narrative Poetry — Rhymed stanzas follow the children's departure from Cologne, their exhausting mountain journey, and their leader's encouragement.
- Historical Poetry — The opening speaker explicitly reads about the children's crusade in history, and the verse situates their journey in Cologne and toward Palestine.
Tags
crusades · child pilgrims · religious fervor · mountain journeys · avalanches
What this Textopian page supports
The Children's Crusade 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: Narrative Poetry, Historical Poetry
- Length: 1,234 words
- Structure: 1 section, 19 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Children's Crusade by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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