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The Arrow and the Song

by Henry W. Longfellow

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 afterwards, 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.

Notes and Questions

Longfellow is the poet who has spoken most sincerely and sympathetically to the hearts of the common people and to children. His style is notable for its simplicity and grace. His Hiawatha is a national poem that records the picturesque traditions of the American Indian. Its charm and melody are the delight of all children, and in years to come, when the race which it describes has utterly disappeared, we shall value at even higher worth these stories of the romantic past of America and of the brave people who inhabited these mountains and plains before the white man came.

Discussion:

1. What became of the arrow? Of the song?
2. Where was the arrow found? When?
3. Where was the Song found?
4. Point out lines that rhyme.
5. What is Longfellow's purpose in this poem?
6. Why is the poet's song compared to the flight of an arrow?
7. A poet once said, "Let me make the Songs of a nation, and I care not who makes the laws." What did he mean?
8. What was the Song doing "in the heart of a
   friend"?

Phrases for Study

breathed a song, flight of Song.