The Siege of Kazan by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A rider before Kazan intends to cross a shallow flood on Argamack, then looks back to find that his warriors have all sunk in the morass. The closing lament describes horse and man buried in the abyss, unable to hear the maidens speaking of them from prison windows.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Narrative Poetry, War Poetry, Elegiac Poetry · 218 words
First lines
Black are the moors before Kazan, / And their stagnant waters smell of blood: / I said in my heart, with horse and man, / I will swim across this shallow flood.
Under the feet of Argamack, / Like new moons were the shoes he bare, / Silken trappings hung on his back, / In a talisman on his neck, a prayer.
My warriors, thought I, are following me; / But when I looked behind, alas! / Not one of all the band could I see, / All had sunk in the black morass!
Where are our shallow fords? and where / The power of Kazan with its fourfold gates? / From the prison windows our maidens fair / Talk of us still through the iron grates.
Genres
- Narrative Poetry — Five rhymed quatrains recount a rider's intended crossing, his discovery that his warriors have sunk, and the ensuing lament.
- War Poetry — The mounted warriors perish before Kazan, whose lost power and imprisoned maidens appear in the lament.
- Elegiac Poetry — The final stanza mourns the buried horses and men and cries out over the grief that has fallen on Kazan.
Tags
mounted warriors · morass · drowning · imprisonment · military disaster · lament
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The Siege of Kazan 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: Narrative Poetry, War Poetry, Elegiac Poetry
- Length: 218 words
- Structure: 1 section, 5 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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