Nature - A poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - Nature

As a fond mother, when the day is o'er,
Leads by the hand her little child to bed,
Half willing, half reluctant to be led, 
And leave his broken playthings on the floor,
Still gazing at them through the open door, 
Nor wholly reassured and comforted
By promises of others in their stead,
Which though more splendid, may not please him more;
So Nature deals with us, and takes away
Our playthings one by one, and by the hand
Leads us to rest so gently, that we go
Scarce knowing if we wish to go or stay,
Being too full of sleep to understand 
How far the unknown transcends the what we know.

Added: on February 28th, 2006 at 8:35 AM | Viewed: 3787 times | Comments and analysis of Nature by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Comments (4)

Nature - Comments and Information
Poet: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Poem: Nature Volume: Birds Of Passage Comment 4 of 4, added on April 16th, 2008 at 7:22 PM. i disagree on what the "playthings" symbolize. i think it has more to do with the unknowable future. will the child enjoy the new plaything? it is unknowable to him. as for the other plaything analogy, it is more the taking away of abilities one was once able to do and as one ages, one begins to lose these things. although they are not as able as they used to be, it is easier to cling on to known "broken" things then to submit to unknowable, perhaps wonderful things (i.e. heaven, the afterlife) but it is inevitable so one may not be able to completely accept it, but one must come at least partially to terms with uncertain death leah from United States Comment 3 of 4, added on May 5th, 2007 at 10:12 PM. This is an Italian sonnet, which can be divided into two sections, lines 1-8; 9-14, Each focusing on one idea, the first idea with pity, the second with hope. Xiuxiu from China Comment 2 of 4, added on February 28th, 2006 at 8:35 AM. It was awsome!!. Chris from United States More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, Nature, has received 4 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own. Of course you can also always discuss poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow with others on the American Poems poetry forum!

Poem Info
Poet: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Poem: Nature Volume: Birds Of Passage Last read: May 16 2008, 2:08PM Viewed 3787 times. Added on February 28th, 2006 at 8:35 AM.

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