The Slave's Dream by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
An enslaved man lies beside ungathered rice and dreams of his native land, where he is once more a king and sees his queen among her children. He dreams of riding along the Niger toward the ocean and hearing forests and desert winds proclaim liberty; the ending reveals his lifeless body, beyond the driver's whip and the day's heat.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Narrative Poetry, Abolitionist Literature, Dream Literature · 458 words
First lines
Beside the ungathered rice he lay, / His sickle in his hand; / His breast was bare, his matted hair / Was buried in the sand. / Again, in the mist and shadow of sleep, / He saw his Native Land.
Wide through the landscape of his dreams / The lordly Niger flowed; / Beneath the palm-trees on the plain / Once more a king he strode; / And heard the tinkling caravans / Descend the mountain-road.
What this Textopian page supports
The Slave's Dream 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: Narrative Poetry, Abolitionist Literature, Dream Literature
- Length: 458 words
- Structure: 1 section, 8 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Slave's Dream 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
Genres
- Narrative Poetry — Eight rhymed stanzas follow an enslaved man's dream journey and end by revealing his death.
- Abolitionist Literature — The man's dreamed kingship and family reunion contrast with forced labor and the driver's whip, while death is described as release from a fetter.
- Dream Literature — The central journey occurs in sleep, carrying the man through his native landscape to imagined cries of liberty.
Tags
slavery · dreams · freedom · family separation · death · Niger River