"The Arrow And The Song" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

The Arrow And The Song

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.

 

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?

 

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.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

Poem Video👇

https://youtu.be/s6ZxjfjTPaw

Who wrote the poem "The Arrow And The Song:?

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882)

 

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator. He was one of the most famous American poets of the 19th century, both domestically and internationally, and was one of the few American writers honored in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. Longfellow was born in Portland, Maine (then still part of Massachusetts). He studied at Bowdoin College and became a professor there and later at Harvard University. His poems were known for their musicality, often including stories of mythology and legend.

"The Arrow And The Song" explanation

The poem compares an arrow shot in the air with a song breathed in the air. Both seemingly disappear quickly but leave far reaching impacts in an oak and in the heart of a friend. The arrow symbolizes hateful words whereas the song represents kind and pleasing words. In this short but artistic poem, the poet reminds the reader of the permanent impacts of our words and actions. Our words and actions will have consequences, and we have to speak and act wisely.