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by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882)

I stood on the bridge at midnight
Language: English 
I stood on the bridge at midnight,
  As the clocks were striking the hour,
And the moon rose o'er the city,
  Behind the dark church-tower. 

I saw her bright reflection
  In the waters under me,
Like a golden goblet falling
  And sinking into the sea. 

And far in the hazy distance
  Of that lovely night in June,
The blaze of the flaming furnace
  Gleamed redder than the moon. 

Among the long, black rafters
  The wavering shadows lay,
And the current that came from the ocean
  Seemed to lift and bear them away; 

As, sweeping and eddying through them,
Rose the belated tide,
And, streaming into the moonlight,
  The seaweed floated wide. 

And like those waters rushing
  Among the wooden piers,
A flood of thoughts came o'er me
  That filled my eyes with tears. 

How often, oh, how often,
  In the days that had gone by,
I had stood on that bridge at midnight
  And gazed on that wave and sky! 

How often, oh, how often,
  I had wished that the ebbing tide
Would bear me away on its bosom
  O'er the ocean wild and wide! 

For my heart was hot and restless,
  And my life was full of care,
And the burden laid upon me
  Seemed greater than I could bear. 

But now it has fallen from me,
  It is buried in the sea;
And only the sorrow of others
  Throws its shadow over me. 

Yet whenever I cross the river
  On its bridge with wooden piers,
Like the odor of brine from the ocean
  Comes the thought of other years. 

And I think how many thousands
  Of care-encumbered men,
Each bearing his burden of sorrow,
  Have crossed the bridge since then. 

I see the long procession
  Still passing to and fro,
The young heart hot and restless,
  And the old subdued and slow! 

And forever and forever,
  As long as the river flows,
As long as the heart has passions,
  As long as life has woes; 

The moon and its broken reflection
  And its shadows shall appear,
As the symbol of love in heaven,
  And its wavering image here.

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 - 1882), "The bridge", appears in The Belfry of Bruges and Other Poems, first published 1845 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by R. K. Armitage , "The bridge" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Joel Balzun (b. 1990), "Memories of Love (The Bridge with the Flowing River at Midnight)", 2014 [ baritone and viola ], from The arrow, the song, and the bridge, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by John G. Barnett (1802 - 1890), "The bridge" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by John Blockley (1800 - 1882), "The bridge", published 1869 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Procida Bucalossi (1859? - ?), "The midnight hour", published >>1881 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Catherine Jane Carew, Lady (1798 - 1901), as Henry Carew, Lady, "The Bridge", published 1850? [ voice and piano ], London : R. Mills [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Lansdowne Cottell , "The bridge" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Ellen Dickson (1819 - 1878), as Dolores, "The Bridge", published 1854 [ voice and piano ], London: Charles Jefferys [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Agnes Landon , "The bridge", published >>1854 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Maria Lindsay (flourished 1855-1875), "The Bridge", published 1870? [ medium voice and piano ], London : Robert Cocks & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Francis (Frank) Romer (1810 - 1889), "The bridge" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Samuel Smallwood , "The bridge", published >>1872 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by M. L. Stevens , "The bridge" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
  • by J. H. Walker , "The bridge" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-06-03
Line count: 60
Word count: 350

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