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The Galaxy

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Topics: classic

Torrent of light and river of the air,         Along whose bed the glimmering stars are seen         Like gold and silver sands in some ravine         Where mountain streams have left their channels bare!     The Spaniard sees in thee the pathway, where         His patron saint descended in the sheen         Of his celestial armor, on serene         And quiet nights, when all the heavens were fair.     Not this I see, nor yet the ancient fable         Of Phaeton's wild course, that scorched the skies         Where'er the hoofs of his hot coursers trod;     But the white drift of worlds o'er chasms of sable,         The star-dust that is whirled aloft and flies         From the invisible chariot-wheels of God.

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"Torrent of light and river of the air,..."

This evocative piece by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, titled "The Galaxy", 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...

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Author:Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"Torrent of light and river of the air,..." by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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"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.

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