The Soul's Complaint against the Body
Mortals are urged to consider the soul's journey and its eventual judgment by God according to its earthly deeds. After death separates soul and body, the soul returns after a week and rebukes the decaying body for neglecting its future fate.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Religious Poetry, Allegorical Poetry · 310 words
First lines
From the Anglo-Saxon
Much it behoveth / Each one of mortals, / That he his soul's journey / In himself ponder, / How deep it may be. / When Death cometh, / The bonds he breaketh / By which were united / The soul and the body.
Genres
- Religious Poetry — The verse describes death, the soul's judgment by God, and the possibility that God will end the world.
- Allegorical Poetry — The soul addresses the body's dust as a negligent companion, giving their separation the form of a moral accusation.
Tags
soul and body · death · afterlife · divine judgment · bodily decay
What this Textopian page supports
The Soul's Complaint against the Body 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: Religious Poetry, Allegorical Poetry
- Length: 310 words
- Structure: 1 section, 5 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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