Fata Morgana

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1807 (Portland) – 1882 (Cambridge)




O sweet illusions of song
     That tempt me everywhere,
In the lonely fields, and the throng
     Of the crowded thoroughfare!

I approach and ye vanish away,
     I grasp you, and ye are gone;
But ever by night and by day,
     The melody soundeth on.

As the weary traveller sees
     In desert or prairie vast,
Blue lakes, overhung with trees
     That a pleasant shadow cast;

Fair towns with turrets high,
     And shining roofs of gold,
That vanish as he draws nigh,
     Like mists together rolled --

So I wander and wander along,
     And forever before me gleams
The shining city of song,
     In the beautiful land of dreams.

But when I would enter the gate
     Of that golden atmosphere,
It is gone, and I wonder and wait
     For the vision to reappear.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 09, 2023

39 sec read
150

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CXCX DEDE FGFG AHAH IJIJ
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 749
Words 133
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline. more…

All Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poems | Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Books

17 fans

Discuss the poem Fata Morgana with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Fata Morgana" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/18592/fata-morgana>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    18
    hours
    50
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    When's the World Poetry Day is celebrated?
    A 21 April
    B 12 March
    C 18 December
    D 21 March