The Good Shepherd by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A speaker awakened by the Shepherd's song asks him for mercy, guidance, and the cleansing of sins. Pleading with him to wait, the speaker sees that the Shepherd, his feet nailed to the cross, is already waiting.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Christian Devotional Poetry, Sonnet · 192 words
First lines
(El Buen Pastor)
By Lope de Vega
Shepherd! who with thine amorous, sylvan song / Hast broken the slumber that encompassed me, / Who mad'st thy crook from the accursed tree, / On which thy powerful arms were stretched so long! / Lead me to mercy's ever-flowing fountains; / For thou my shepherd, guard, and guide shalt be; / I will obey thy voice, and wait to see / Thy feet all beautiful upon the mountains. / Hear, Shepherd! thou who for thy flock art dying, / O, wash away these scarlet sins, for thou / Rejoicest at the contrite sinner's vow. / O, wait! to thee my weary soul is crying, / Wait for me! Yet why ask it, when I see, / With feet nailed to the cross, thou 'rt waiting still for me!
Genres
- Christian Devotional Poetry — The speaker addresses a Shepherd dying for his flock on the cross and asks him to wash away sins.
- Sonnet — Fourteen rhymed lines develop the speaker's appeals and close with the recognition that the crucified Shepherd is waiting.
Tags
repentance · crucifixion · divine mercy · spiritual guidance · sonnet
What this Textopian page supports
The Good Shepherd 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: Christian Devotional Poetry, Sonnet
- Length: 192 words
- Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Good Shepherd by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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