by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882)
The Arrow and the Song See original
Language: English
I shot an Arrow into the air It fell to earth I know not where, For so swiftly it flew, the sight Could not follow it in its flight. I breath'd a Song into the air It fell to earth, I know not where. For who has sight so keen and strong That it can follow the flight of a song? Long, long afterward in an oak I found the Arrow still unbroke; And the Song from begining to end I found again in the heart of a friend.
Note: parodied in the anonymous poem I stuck a pin into a chair.
Composition:
- Set to music by Michael William Balfe (1808 - 1870), "The Arrow and the Song"
Text Authorship:
- by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882), "The Arrow and the Song", appears in The Belfry of Bruges and Other Poems, first published 1846
See other settings of this text.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 89