The Poet and his Songs
A poet's songs arrive from an unknown realm, like birds in spring, rain from clouds, and sails appearing over the sea. The songs and their fame are both his and not his; voices pursue him day and night, and an Angel commands him to write.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Metapoetry, Lyric Poetry · 259 words
First lines
As the birds come in the Spring, / We know not from where; / As the stars come at evening / From depths of the air;
As the rain comes from the cloud, / And the brook from the ground; / As suddenly, low or loud, / Out of silence a sound;
As the grape comes to the vine, / The fruit to the tree; / As the wind comes to the pine, / And the tide to the sea;
As come the white sails of ships / O'er the ocean's verge; / As comes the smile to the lips, / The foam to the surge;
Genres
- Metapoetry — The verses describe how songs come to a poet, question his ownership of them and their fame, and end with a command to write.
- Lyric Poetry — Seven rhymed quatrains develop a sustained reflection on poetic inspiration through repeated comparisons.
Tags
poetic inspiration · authorship · creative compulsion · fame
What this Textopian page supports
The Poet and his Songs 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: Metapoetry, Lyric Poetry
- Length: 259 words
- Structure: 1 section, 7 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
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