Vida De San Millan by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
An outnumbered Christian army sees two heavenly knights descend, kneels in repentance, and rallies as the knights attack the Moors. The Moors suffer heavy losses and their own arrows turn against them; the knights are identified as the Apostle who is Saint John's brother and San Millan.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Narrative Poetry, Religious Poetry, War Poetry · 592 words
First lines
By Gonzalo de Berceo
And when the kings were in the field, -- their squadrons in array, -- / With lance in rest they onward pressed to mingle in the fray; / But soon upon the Christians fell a terror of their foes, -- / These were a numerous army, -- a little handful those.
Genres
- Narrative Poetry — Rhymed stanzas recount the army's fear, the heavenly knights' arrival, the battle, and the revelation of their identities.
- Religious Poetry — The Christians promise to forsake their sins, and two holy figures intervene miraculously in their battle.
- War Poetry — The verses describe opposing armies, sabre blows, dismembered casualties, and arrows turning against their archers.
Tags
heavenly knights · miraculous intervention · battle · repentance · Christian armies · Moors
What this Textopian page supports
Vida De San Millan 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, Religious Poetry, War Poetry
- Length: 592 words
- Structure: 1 section, 11 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
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- Work identity for Vida De San Millan by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
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