One Man Two Poems – The Poem “The Cross of the Snow,” Longfellow Speaks

With so many amazing poets of the eighteenth century, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, an American poet of the Romantic period traveled throughout Europe and immersed himself into European culture and poetry. He imitated in his poetry what he had seen and learned. Before television, radio, and film, he rose to become not just the leading poet and literary figure of eighteenth-century America, but also an American icon and household name. Even today in 2018, people read and are genuinely inspired by his works(Bryant pg. 3) With him making the poems “The tide rises, the time falls” and “The cross of snow” he has made himself unique with how he used nature to describe such events and emotions on what he is going through. Mr. Longfellow is true to what he feels, a sightseer of his works, an amazing versifier, creator, and is relatable.

“The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls” is a poem were Longfellow uses nature to convey the cycle of life. The poem tells us about a person who is walking quickly towards a town at nightfall while the tide is continuously rises and falls. “Darkness” is concealing the “roofs and walls” of the town (Longfellow line 6). Small waves are removing the footsteps of the person in the sand, while the tide continues to rise and fall. In the final stanza, night surpassed and morning comes, but the person who was seen the night before was never coming back. Although, the tide will continue to rise and fall. “Those little waves, with their soft, white hands” and “Efface the footprints in the sand.” Longfellow introduces this feeling by using a way that pertains to the ocean, which is associated with patience and tranquility of this whole poem.

The poem “The Cross Of The Snow,” Longfellow speaks in first person using “me” and “I” multiple times throughout the poem. He also references “she” who died, which is Longfellow’s beloved wife. The speaker, Longfellow, compares himself to a cold mountain after his wife dies. He relates himself to a mountain with a snow cover cross that he had seen. He chooses to compare himself to that particular mountain because he is cold and barely sees the warmth of the sun. The mountain is alone and unmoving, much like Longfellow when his wife dies. In this poem, Longfellow is only against himself, due to his wife dying and him not being able to move on from it. Some may say this poem is depressing: “In the long, sleepless watches of the night.” In the first line, the author describes himself awake at night, thinking about his wife. Being unable to fall asleep due to a loss is one of a loved one is insomnia which is a symptom of depression. In lines 13 and 14 (Longfellow lines 13 and 14), “These eighteen years, through all the changing scenes and seasons, changeless since the day she died.” You can only feel sympathy toward Longfellow due to him unable to feel the seasons change from winter to spring due to his wife’s passing.

In both the poems “ The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls” and “ The Snow Of Cross” Henry Longfellow uses nature to describe death in some way whether it’s the death of others, such as his beloved wife or himself. Longfellow still manages to take beautiful scenery, such as the beach at nightfall or an unusual cross in the snow of a mountain. Nature is such an alluring, beautiful scene, just looking at it. Longfellow uses nature to projects what he is feeling, his feelings in both poems are slightly mournful than genuinely focusing on the beauty of nature itself. However, maybe what Longfellow is trying to get across is death is beautiful but is still saddening? Or that beauty is only what you make it, meaning that just like Longfellow you can take a beautiful creation, such as nature and turn into something more meaningful.

An example would be Longfellow’s approach towards the poem, “The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls is very accepting. He writes about his acceptance of death and truth that he, as well as everyone else, will die someday. Longfellow’s tone in this poem is straightforward and insensitive. However, the overall atmosphere is depressing, to say the least.

The major shift in “The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls” happens when Longfellow writes that the morning comes “but never more returns the traveler to the shore,” and the tide continues to rise and fall. This conveys that although the traveler is no longer alive, life continues to happen. Showing that nature is indifferent to fate because the sun still rises, the tide rises and falls. In the verse, “the cross I wear upon my breast” is a metaphor that represents his never fading love for his wife with a cross that he had seen on the side of a mountain because ultimately, the snow never melts. In both poems, Longfellow’s Diction is very sophisticated and pepper. This diction helps the audience understand the emotion he feels in these two poems. “ The Cross Of Snow” is ultimately a poem for Longfellow to grieve and get over his wife’s death. In the end, to show his undying love for her through the cross of the snow and the comparison to the cross on his heart.

Before television, radio, and film, he rose to become not just the leading poet and literary figure of nineteenth-century America, but also an American icon and household name. Longfellow is true to what he feels, a sightseer of his works, an amazing versifier, creator, and is relatable. “The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls” is a poem were Longfellow uses nature to convey the cycle of life. The poem “The Cross Of The Snow,” Longfellow speaks in first person using “me” and “I” multiple times throughout the poem. He chooses to compare himself to that particular mountain because he’s cold and barely sees the warmth of the sun. In both the poems “ The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls” and “ The Snow Of Cross” Henry Longfellow uses nature to describe death in some way whether it’s the death of others, such as his beloved wife or himself. Longfellow still manages to take beautiful scenery, such as the beach at nightfall or an unusual cross in the snow of a mountain. An example would be Longfellow’s approach towards the poem, “The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls is very accepting. He writes about his acceptance of death and truth that he, as well as everyone else.