The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls
By, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The tide rises, the tide falls,
The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;
Along the sea-sands damp and brown
The traveller hastens towards the town,
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,
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,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.
Word meanings:
twilight the light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon
curlew a large wading bird
hastens walking hurriedly
efface to erase a mark from a surface
hostler person employed to care for horses
Exercises
- Questions
- What time of day is it in each stanza? Ans: In the first stanza it is evening, in the second stanza it is night and in the third stanza it is morning.
- Where is the traveller going? Ans: The traveller is going back to the town.
- Which verb describes the traveller's movement; what idea does it create? Ans. The traveller's movement is described by "hastens", it means that the traveller is waking fast.
- What human attributes does the sea have, and what does it do with them? Ans. The tides of sea rises and falls and so does such resemble human attributes - ups and downs, happiness and sadness of life. As the sea waves clear the traces of footsteps on the sand and moves on so does human; the obstacles, hindrances in one's life are overcome and we keep moving on.
- Which parts of the poem seem old fashioned to you? Ans: The repetition of the lines "And the tide rises, the tide falls" seem old fashioned as one is already aware of this eternal and never-ending process.
- Which parts of the final stanza could symbolize the start of a working day? Ans: "The morning breaks";"the steeds in their stalls stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls"; "Returns the traveller to the shore" symbolizes the start of a working day.
- In what way are the cycles of time and tide constant (and keep going)? Ans. The tide rise and the tide fall can be co-related with life: birth and death; the rising of the tide symbolizes birth and the falling of the tide symbolizes death. This phase is eternal and we cannot evade it.
- What is the significance of the different times of the day mentioned in the poem? Ans. The significance of the different times of the day mentioned in the poem conjugate with the passing of time in a human life cycle; the first stanza starts at evening which signifies old age; the second stanza describes night which signifies death; the third stanza describes morning which signifies birth.
- What is the tone of the speaker in the poem? Ans. The tone in the poem starts with a sad, subdued note and then gradually shifting into a peaceful, calm, relaxed tone towards the end.
- Reference to context
- Along the sea-sands damp and brown
- Which living things are on or near the sea-sands? Ans: The "curlew" and the "traveller".
- What are they doing? Ans: The curlew is calling, and the traveller is hastening towards town.
- What happens to all living things? Ans: All living things face death.
- Why do you think the poet uses the word sea-sands rather than the beach? Ans: The poet uses the word sea-sands rather than the beach to sync with the words "damp and brown", if the poet would have used beach then it would have meant a pebbly or sandy shore. Also sea-sand is a better comparative than beach to comprehend the line "Efface the footprints in the sands".
- ...but nevermore
Returns the traveller to the shore, - What does return to the shore? Ans: The traveller returns to the shore.
- Will anyone know that the traveller was there?Why/why not? Ans: This is somewhat vague as the poet doesn't specify details, he leaves us in a trail of mysteriousness.
- What do you think has happened to the traveller? Ans: The poet's withholding of information is key to the poem's meaning. The speaker narrated about one's life journey which is unknowable, inevitable and final. A presumption can be derived from the line "The traveller hastens towards the town," that the traveller must have reached an old age.
- Darkness settles on roofs and walls,
But the sea, the sea in the darkness calls; - What time of day is being referred to? Ans: The time of day being referred to is night time.
- Why does the sea appear to call? Ans: The sea cannot call but the poet personifies it to life and states death is calling.
- Give an antonym of the word "darkness". Ans: The antonym of the word "darkness" in accordance of the poem is "morning" or "hope".
- But the sea, the sea in the darkness calls;
- Who calls in the darkness? Ans: The sea calls in the darkness.
- What are the things being done at this point? Ans: The things that are being done at this point are : the waves of the sea erases the footprints in the sands, and the tide rises and the tide falls.
- Why is the word "sea" repeated in the poem? Ans: The word "sea" is repeated in the poem to personify "life" as the tides keep rising and falling and so does birth and death happens in a life-cycle.
- The day returns, but nevermore
Returns the traveller to the shore, - Why does the traveller not return to the shore? Ans: The traveller does not return because he must have died.
- What is meant by "nevermore"? Ans. "Nevemore" means never again.
- What time of day is mentioned here? Ans: Morning time is referred here.
Read these lines from the poem, then answer the questions.
