The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls

BY HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

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.

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This poem describes life in terms of the happenings on the seashore. The repeating words, “the tide rises, the tide falls’, convey the continuum of time. Curlew is a small bird that inhabits the seashore. The words ‘twilight and darkening skies’ convey the end of life. The call of the Curlew may be interpreted as a reminder to the traveler that it is going to be night soon and he needs to hurry on.

The traveler leaves footprints in the sand — think of these as a person’s achievements in life. The imagery is vivid — we can imagine the little waves with white hands of froth erasing the footprints and returning the sands to their pristine condition.

When the morning comes, life goes on. The horses neigh and respond to their keeper (hostler). There is no news of the traveler — in fact, there is no visible mark that he even went by the night before!

Life goes on!