The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The tide rises, the tide falls,
The twilight darkens, the curlewcalls;
Along the sea-sands damp and brown
The traveller hastens toward the town,
5 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,
10 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,
15 And the tide rises, the tide falls.

The Cross of Snow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

In the long, sleepless watches of the night,
A gentle face—the face of one long dead—
Looks at me from the wall, where round its head
The night lamp casts a halo of pale light.
5 Here in this room she died; and soul more white
Never through martyrdom of fire was led
To its repose; nor can in books be read
The legend of a life more benedight.°
There is a mountain in the distant West
10 That, sun-defying, in its deep ravines
Displays a cross of snow upon its side.
Such is the cross I wear upon my breast
These eighteen years, through all the changing scenes
And seasons, changeless since the day she died.

Making Meanings
The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls

1. “Footprints on the sands of time” is a common expression referring to mortality and the passing of time. In the second stanza, what do you think is implied about the fate of the traveler when his footprints are washed away? 
2. How does the division into stanzas reflect the passage of time in the poem? 
3. What feeling is suggested by the stamping and neighing of the horses when morning comes? What contrasting feeling is suggested by what we are told about the traveler in this stanza? 
4. Onomatopoeia is a poetic technique in which the sounds of words are used to echo their sense. If you have ever heard the call of a curlew, you know that the words “curlew calls” in line 2 echo the sound this shore bird itself makes. (Its cry is particularly mournful at dusk.) What sound do you think dominates this poem? What atmosphere does it suggest? 
5. How does the meter of the poem reflect the movement of the tides? 
6. Do you think this is a poem about one specific traveler? Or could it be seen as a “drama” about everyone’s life? What do you think is suggested by the tide’s continuing to rise and fall, despite the fact that the human traveler is gone? 
7. The waves are personified in stanza 2 as having “soft, white hands.” This is an example of Longfellow’s poetic style, which some readers think is too cute, or too sentimental, to be effective. Do you think the personification is justified here? Why or why not? 

The Cross of Snow

1. How did you respond to the strong personal emotion expressed in the poem? 
2. The phrase “martyrdom of fire” in line 6 might confuse readers who did not know that Longfellow’s wife had died in a fire. What is Longfellow suggesting about his wife’s character when he uses such a powerful word to describe her death? 
3. The phrase “watches of the night” usually refers to the rounds made by a watchman as he guards a house or a neighborhood. At certain hours the watch would call “All is well.” What are Longfellow’s figurative “watches of the night” (line 1)? 
4. Explain how the phrase “sun-defying” (line 10) suggests conditions of weather and geology that might actually produce a permanent cross of snow on the side of a mountain. How does the poet relate the idea of a “sun-defying” formation of snow to his own feelings? 
5. What do you think about public expressions of personal grief? (Remember that Longfellow did not show “The Cross of Snow” to anyone during his lifetime.) How does the mass media—TV, radio, magazines, newspapers—affect our views of what’s private and what’s not? (Think of examples from news programs, talk shows, magazines, and documentaries.)

Table of Contents