To the River Yvette
A wandering poet sings of the Yvette, likening its flow toward the Orge to a bride hastening to her beloved. Maincourt and Dampierre salute its passage, the bells of St. Forget bless it, and the valley of Chevreuse cannot hold it back.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Nature Poetry, Lyric Poetry · 191 words
First lines
O lovely river of Yvette! / O darling river! like a bride, / Some dimpled, bashful, fair Lisette, / Thou goest to wed the Orge's tide.
Maincourt, and lordly Dampierre, / See and salute thee on thy way, / And, with a blessing and a prayer, / Ring the sweet bells of St. Forget.
The valley of Chevreuse in vain / Would hold thee in its fond embrace; / Thou glidest from its arms again / And hurriest on with swifter pace.
Thou wilt not stay; with restless feet / Pursuing still thine onward flight, / Thou goest as one in haste to meet / Her sole desire, her head's delight.
Genres
- Nature Poetry — The verses follow a river through a valley toward another river and close with wood-birds singing.
- Lyric Poetry — Five rhymed quatrains address the river affectionately, comparing its onward movement to a bride's haste.
Tags
rivers · bridal imagery · personification · birdsong
What this Textopian page supports
To the River Yvette 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: Nature Poetry, Lyric Poetry
- Length: 191 words
- Structure: 1 section, 5 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for To the River Yvette 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