To the River Charles
After watching the river for four years, the speaker recalls how its steady flow brought comfort in sadness and illness and joy in brighter hours. Friends who lived beside it and three trusted friends recalled by its name deepen the speaker’s attachment, prompting a song of thanks.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Nature Poetry, Reflective Poetry · 378 words
First lines
River! that in silence windest / Through the meadows, bright and free, / Till at length thy rest thou findest / In the bosom of the sea!
Four long years of mingled feeling, / Half in rest, and half in strife, / I have seen thy waters stealing / Onward, like the stream of life.
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — The speaker addresses the river in rhymed stanzas, expressing personal gratitude and affection.
- Nature Poetry — The river’s silent current, blue waters, meadows, and wooded banks anchor the speaker’s reflections.
- Reflective Poetry — Four years of watching the river lead the speaker to recall illness, happier hours, and trusted friends.
Tags
rivers · friendship · memory · consolation · nature poetry
What this Textopian page supports
To the River Charles 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: Lyric Poetry, Nature Poetry, Reflective Poetry
- Length: 378 words
- Structure: 1 section, 10 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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