Skip to content
Linespedia

Sundown

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Topics: classic

The summer sun is sinking low;     Only the tree-tops redden and glow:     Only the weathercock on the spire     Of the neighboring church is a flame of fire;          All is in shadow below.     O beautiful, awful summer day,     What hast thou given, what taken away?     Life and death, and love and hate,     Homes made happy or desolate,          Hearts made sad or gay!     On the road of life one mile-stone more!     In the book of life one leaf turned o'er!     Like a red seal is the setting sun     On the good and the evil men have done,--          Naught can to-day restore!

AI analysis available. Enable JavaScript to interact.

About this line

"The summer sun is sinking low;..."

This evocative piece by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, titled "Sundown", represents a masterful exploration of classic. The lines capture a profound emotional resonance... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

Attribution & Rights

Author:Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"The summer sun is sinking low;..." by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

For usage rights, copyright concerns, or to report an issue with this content, please visit our Copyright & Report page.

Related lines

"From the outskirts of the town         Where of old the mile-stone stood.     Now a stranger, looking down     I behold the shadowy crown"

"In those days said Hiawatha,     "Lo! how all things fade and perish!     From the memory of the old men     Pass away the great traditions,"

"Between the dark and the daylight,         When the night is beginning to lower,     Comes a pause in the day's occupations,      That is known"

"How beautiful is the rain!     After the dust and heat,     In the broad and fiery street,     In the narrow lane,     How beautiful is the ra"

"Here morning in the ploughman's songs is met     Ere yet one footstep shows in all the sky,     And twilight in the east, a doubt as yet,     S"

"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

About Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882) was the most popular American poet of the 19th century. His narrative poems—including "Paul Revere's Ride," "Evangeline," and "The Song of Hiawatha"—made poetry accessible to a mass audience and shaped American cultural identity.

Full Bibliography
Continue Reading

"From the outskirts of the town         Where of ol..."

Weekly Poetic Insight

Join our literary Sanctuary

Get the most inspiring lines, poetic analysis, and secret shayaris delivered to your inbox every Sunday.