Whither? by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A speaker follows a clear brook down into a valley with a pilgrim's staff, unsure what prompted the journey or where it leads. The speaker imagines water-nymphs singing in its murmur and closes by declaring that mill wheels turn in every clear brook.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Nature Poetry · 212 words
First lines
By Wilhelm Muller
I heard a brooklet gushing / From its rocky fountain near, / Down into the valley rushing, / So fresh and wondrous clear.
I know not what came o'er me, / Nor who the counsel gave; / But I must hasten downward, / All with my pilgrim-stave;
Downward, and ever farther, / And ever the brook beside; / And ever fresher murmured, / And ever clearer, the tide.
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — Rhymed stanzas present a speaker's impulse to follow a brook and the questions prompted by its sound.
- Nature Poetry — The brook's rocky source, downward course, clarity, and murmur guide the speaker's movement and imagining.
Tags
brooks · wandering · water-nymphs · mills
What this Textopian page supports
Whither? is listed on Textopian as a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, dated Date unknown.
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- Work type: Poem
- Author: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Nature Poetry
- Length: 212 words
- Structure: 1 section, 7 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for Whither? by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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