The Reaper and the Flowers
A reaper named Death tenderly gathers flowers for the Lord of Paradise, promising they will bloom in fields of light. A mother relinquishes her beloved flowers in grief, trusting in reunion above, and the narrator describes the visitor as an angel.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Allegorical Poetry, Religious Poetry · 292 words
First lines
There is a Reaper, whose name is Death, / And, with his sickle keen, / He reaps the bearded grain at a breath, / And the flowers that grow between.
"Shall I have naught that is fair? " saith he; / "Have naught but the bearded grain? / Though the breath of these flowers is sweet to me, / I will give them all back again."
He gazed at the flowers with tearful eyes, / He kissed their drooping leaves; / It was for the Lord of Paradise / He bound them in his sheaves.
"My Lord has need of these flowerets gay," / The Reaper said, and smiled; / "Dear tokens of the earth are they, / Where he was once a child.
What this Textopian page supports
The Reaper and the Flowers is listed on Textopian as a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, dated Date unknown.
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- Work type: Poem
- Author: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Allegorical Poetry, Religious Poetry
- Length: 292 words
- Structure: 1 section, 7 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Reaper and the Flowers 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
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Genres
- Allegorical Poetry — Death speaks and acts as a compassionate reaper, gathering flowers whose loss brings a mother grief.
- Religious Poetry — The reaper gathers flowers for the Lord of Paradise, promises their flowering among saints, and is finally described as an angel.
Tags
death · maternal grief · afterlife · religious consolation · personification