American poet Henry Wadswoth Longfellow is probably most famous for his poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride”, but the first two lines of this poem may be more familiar to many of us. If you haven’t yet discovered how poetry helps to make us human, this poem should make it clear for you. I couldn’t begin to describe the beauty of friendship with mere words.
The Arrow and the Song
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I shot an arrow into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For, so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could not follow it in its flight.
I breathed a song into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For who has sight so keen and strong,
That it can follow the flight of song?
Long, long afterward, in an oak
I found the arrow, still unbroke;
And the song, from beginning to end,
I found again in the heart of a friend.
I love that you are doing this poetry thing. IT is so nice to take a moment to appreciate the simple, beautiful things in life. Jsut like this poem!
Ahhh…yes…I memorized this once and have always love it and find it usually true in my family in the form of a whistle more so than a song. Thanks for sharing it with us.