Wednesday, April 6, 2011

The Day is Done by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


This photo is of my Blueberry bushes in March bursting with blossoms...

This is my favorite Longfellow poem. The last verse comes to my mind often at the end of day. Enjoy!

Blessings,
Marion

* * * * *

The Day is Done
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882)

THE DAY is done, and the darkness
Falls from the wings of Night,
As a feather is wafted downward
From an eagle in his flight.

I see the lights of the village
Gleam through the rain and the mist,
And a feeling of sadness comes o'er me
That my soul cannot resist:

A feeling of sadness and longing,
That is not akin to pain,
And resembles sorrow only
As the mist resembles the rain.

Come, read to me some poem,
Some simple and heartfelt lay,
That shall soothe this restless feeling,
And banish the thoughts of day.

Not from the grand old masters,
Not from the bards sublime,
Whose distant footsteps echo
Through the corridors of Time.

For, like strains of martial music,
Their mighty thoughts suggest
Life's endless toil and endeavor;
And to-night I long for rest.

Read from some humbler poet,
Whose songs gushed from his heart,
As showers from the clouds of summer,
Or tears from the eyelids start;

Who, through long days of labor,
And nights devoid of ease,
Still heard in his soul the music
Of wonderful melodies.

Such songs have power to quiet
The restless pulse of care,
And come like the benediction
That follows after prayer.

Then read from the treasured volume
The poem of thy choice,
And lend to the rhyme of the poet
The beauty of thy voice.

And the night shall be filled with music,
And the cares, that infest the day,
Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs,
And as silently steal away.

7 comments:

Kelly said...

I really like this poem, too.

Your blueberry bushes were beautiful in bloom! Beauty you will benefit from later. :)

Dawn said...

This is my favorite poem of all and he is my favorite poet !
Thanks for sharing this !

All the best !
Dawn

Margaret Pangert said...

omg, that is so beautiful! I didn't know this one...made me think of Byron near the end of his life. Melancholic. Bittersweet. "And the night shall be filled with music, And the cares that infest the day Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs, And as silently steal away." God, I just love it.
The blueberry bushes are so pretty in bloom. We'll eventually get currant and raspberry blossoms, but they're small and white.
Thanks as always, Marion! Love ♥

* said...

What a beautiful poem to read at the end of a long day.

My fave stanza:
"Come, read to me some poem,
Some simple and heartfelt lay,
That shall soothe this restless feeling,
And banish the thoughts of day."

and this:
"and as silently steal away" -- which I'm doing right now (to read, to write).

ds said...

I like that last stanza too, but then, I like the whole poem.
Thank you for sharing!

quid said...

Beautiful photos! And a lovely poem to match.

quid

Janelle Goodwin said...

What a lovely poem. Thank you for sharing the words of this marvelous poet, Marion.