The tide rises, the tide falls,
The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;
Along the sea-sands damp and brown
The traveller hastens toward the town,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.

Darkness settles on roofs and walls,
But the sea, the sea in the darkness calls;
The little waves, with their soft, white hands,
Efface the footprints in the sands,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.

The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls
Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls;
The day returns, but nevermore
Returns the traveller to the shore,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882)

Longfellow Reads Longfellow:
Dreams That Cannot Die (CD version)

In his lifetime, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-82) was the most popular English-language poet. Well into the twentieth century, his lyrics, as well as poems such as The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls, were popular recitation pieces, and his long narratives The Courtship of Miles Standish and Evangeline remained junior-high staples beyond mid-century.

More Poems