The Arrow and the Song by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - Poetry: The Best Words in the Best Order - #BlogchatterA2ZChallenge2021

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 THE ARROW AND THE SONG

HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

                                                                  Brad Jacobsen

I shot an arrow into the air,

It fell to earth, I knew not where;

For, so swiftly it flew, the sight

Could not follow it in its flight.

                                                                   Hannah Spuler

I breathed a song into the air,

It fell to earth, I knew not where;

For who has sight so keen and strong,

That it can follow the flight of song?

                                                                    Prezi

Long, long afterward, in an oak

I found the arrow, still unbroke;

And the song, from beginning to end,

I found again in the heart of a friend.


The Poet: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 -1882)

HW Longfellow, the American poet, is known for his lyrical poems which abound in themes imbued in legend and mythology. He experimented with free verse, often working painstakingly on the form of the poem because he believed that writers wanted their readers to listen to how it sounded. Some of his popular works were 'The Song of Hiawatha', 'The Wreck of the Hesperus', 'The Village Blacksmith' and of course, the wonderful 'A Psalm of Life'.

'The Arrow and the Song' is a lovely little poem that has a simple rhyme scheme, and hence, used extensively for recitation by young children. The poet makes a comparison between the flight of an arrow and that of a song.

The poet shoots an arrow into the air, and it flies so quickly that his eyes could not follow and fathom where it landed. Likewise, he sings a song into the air, but obviously, he could not follow its flight, a feat humanly impossible.

Long afterwards, however, he found the arrow, unbroken and intact, in the trunk of an oak tree. The song he found, from beginning to end, in the heart of a friend. 

The poem reveals how quickly both the arrow and the song disappear into the air, but reappear later, proving that they are both long-lived.

Another interpretation is the contrast between an arrow and a song. One is sharp and can hurt others, while the other is joyful and filled with love. 

                                                                          Etsy

                                                                 Times Literary Supplement

(Such a distinguished looking gentleman!)


         This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2ZChallenge2021

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Comments

  1. Purba chakraborty4/23/2021 11:29:00 PM

    Such a beautiful poem! Loved your analysis.

    ReplyDelete
  2. deepti menon4/25/2021 11:56:00 AM

    Purba, I read this poem long ago in school. Today, it has come back to me like the arrow and the song in the form of this post. Thank you so much for your appreciation.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Suchita4/26/2021 12:35:00 PM

    I read this poem recently and thought about how as content creators, we always worry about our words reaching people. I thought this poem also tells you to not worry and just create. It'll reach where it has to. I really liked your distinction that arrow can hurt but song is love.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. deepti menon4/27/2021 10:18:00 PM

      That is a wonderful interpretation, Suchita. That's what's special about poetry. You can read meanings in it which are totally your own.

      Delete

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