The Peasant Leaves his Plough Afield
Peasants, reapers, and shepherds leave their work to rally to Bernard's standard against a threatened French conquest. They acknowledge their duty to their king but deny his right to sell their freedom, vowing to fight rather than yield.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Ballad, Patriotic Poetry · 466 words
First lines
"One of the finest of the historic ballads is that which describes Bernardo's march to Roncesvalles. He sallies forth 'with three thousand Leonese and more,' to protect the glory and freedom of his native land. From all sides, the peasantry of the land flock to the hero's standard. "
The peasant leaves his plough afield, / The reaper leaves his hook, / And from his hand the shepherd-boy. / Lets fall the pastoral crook.
Genres
- Ballad — Rhymed quatrains recount rural workers gathering beneath Bernard's standard, followed by their collective declarations of resistance.
- Patriotic Poetry — The speakers defend their homeland's freedom, invoke their ancestors' resistance, and pledge to fight rather than submit to foreign rule.
Tags
rural workers · military mobilization · resistance to foreign rule · liberty · royal authority
What this Textopian page supports
The Peasant Leaves his Plough Afield 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: Ballad, Patriotic Poetry
- Length: 466 words
- Structure: 1 section, 12 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Peasant Leaves his Plough Afield 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