- Look closely at each stanza. What does each stanza tell you about the passage of time?
- "Footsteps on the sands of time" is a common expression referring to our mortality and to the passage of time. In the second stanza a similar image appears. What does this image suggest has happened to the traveler?
- At the end of the poem, the tide continues to rise and fall, although the human traveler does not return. How does this contrast reveal the poem's theme--its central insight into the relationship between human life and nature?
- How does this poem reflect the Romantics' view of nature and death?
Review also Longfellow's poem "The Cross of Snow" (textbook p. 198, or follow the link here.)
Creative Writing activity:
Use an image from nature to write a poem in
the style of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
- It should be at least 14 lines (though it may be longer).
- Use the nature imagery to convey a strong emotional connection or universal idea about life.
- It does not need to rhyme, but it may.
On construction paper, create a visual to go along with your
poem. Write the final version of your poem on that page.
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