''The Day is Done'' by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Another poem Longfellow wrote is called "The Day is Done." It captures the feeling of being weary after a long day and wanting to take it easy and relax. 

• Which is your favorite way to relax in the evening after a hard school day?

Longfellow's way of relaxing — by listening to someone read poetry — may not be your favorite choice, but you can probably relate to some of his thoughts and feelings.

Now, onto Longfellow's poem. Read the poem slowly to get a feel for it. If possible, read it out loud.

Then, you'll begin to analyze it.

 "The Day is Done" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

• The day is done, and the darkness
• Falls from the wings of Night,
• As a feather is wafted downward
• From an eagle in his flight.

• I see the lights of the village
• Gleam through the rain and the mist,
• And a feeling of sadness comes o'er me
• That my soul cannot resist:

• A feeling of sadness and longing,
• That is not akin to pain,
• And resembles sorrow only
• As the mist resembles the rain.

• Come, read to me some poem,
• Some simple and heartfelt lay,
• That shall soothe this restless feeling,
• And banish the thoughts of day.

• Not from the grand old masters,
• Not from the bards sublime,
• Whose distant footsteps echo
• Through the corridors of Time.

• For, like strains of martial music,
• Their mighty thoughts suggest
• Life's endless toil and endeavor;
• And to-night I long for rest.

• Read from some humbler poet,
• Whose songs gushed from his heart,
• As showers from the clouds of summer,
• Or tears from the eyelids start;

• Who, through long days of labor,
• And nights devoid of ease,
• Still heard in his soul the music
• Of wonderful melodies.

• Such songs have power to quiet
• The restless pulse of care,
• And come like the benediction
• That follows after prayer.

• Then read from the treasured volume
• The poem of thy choice,
• And lend to the rhyme of the poet
• The beauty of thy voice.

• And the night shall be filled with music,
• And the cares, that infest the day,
• Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs,
• And as silently steal away.

Now, break this poem down and try to understand it.

Get out a sheet of paper or a notebook.

For each listed section of the poem, write what you think it means and cite an image or word that strikes you as important or interesting.

Stanzas 1 and 2

• Meaning:
• Important or interesting word, phrase, or image:

Stanza 3

• Meaning:
• Important or interesting word, phrase, or image:

Stanzas 4, 5, and 6

• Meaning:
• Important or interesting word, phrase, or image:

Stanzas 7, 8, and 9

• Meaning:
• Important or interesting word, phrase, or image:

Stanzas 10 and 11

• Meaning:
• Important or interesting word, phrase, or image:

Compare your thoughts to the possible answers below.

Reading the text of a poem is only one way to experience it.

• Would you like to hear someone reading this poem with expression?

Move on to the Got It? section now!