MEZZO CAMMIN - A poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - MEZZO CAMMIN

Half of my life is gone, and I have let
The years slip from me and have not fulfilled
The aspiration of my youth, to build
Some tower of song with lofty parapet.
Not indolence, nor pleasure, nor the fret
Of restless passions chat would not be stilled,
But sorrow, and a care that almost killed,
Kept me from what I may accomplish yet;
Though, half way up the hill, I see the Past
Lying beneath me with its sounds and sights,--
A city in the twilight dim and vast,
With smoking roofs, soft bells, and gleaming lights.--
And hear above me on the autumnal blast
The cataract of Death far thundering from the heights.

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Added: Feb 1 2004 | Viewed: 15780 times |

Comments (6)

MEZZO CAMMIN - Comments and Information
Poet: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Poem: 19. MEZZO CAMMIN Volume: The Belfry of Bruges and Other Poems Comment 6 of 6, added on August 27th, 2011 at 1:38 AM. Bbbbbbbbsssss I elfin dislike fcken hate this poem. I say this poem is full of shit I swear what the fuck is this. Fuck the author and the poeme Sung eun kim from Korea, South Comment 5 of 6, added on December 1st, 2009 at 8:50 PM. I love this poem, although I did interpret it a little differently. I believe that the poem begins with Longfellow discussing his failures to accomplish his dreams (that could very well be writing more poetry), but instead of mourning a lover I believe that he finds these dreams lost because he focuses so much on his failure, and his death. When he speaks of the city beneath him he simply sees his past and the vast hopes he had for it. When he looks up the hill he sees a "waterfall of Death", representing that he feels his life is almost over, and he has accomplished nothing. He sees a past haunted by death and no future to speak of. Alison Rose from United States Comment 4 of 6, added on October 1st, 2008 at 11:08 AM. I'm a High School junior, and got this poem as an assignment recently. What I understood from the poem is Longfellow regrets not having written as many poems as he wished. And with the death of his beloved he grows sorrowful and his inspiration declines as his sense of mortality grows stronger. He looks back on his life, but as time goes by he's aware that he himself is on his walk straight into Death's cataract. Liz Ramirez from United States More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, MEZZO CAMMIN, has received 6 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own.

Poem Info
Poet: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Poem: 19. MEZZO CAMMIN Volume: The Belfry of Bruges and Other Poems Last read: 2013-05-22 05:21:31 Viewed 15780 times. Added Feb 1 2004.

Longfellow Info
Biography More Poems (136 poems) Henry Wadsworth Longfellow books