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.
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Comments
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assignment
From guest Danny Z. Palad (contact)
I researched about the meaning of this poem for my daughter's assignment. I found this site, thanks I got your clues. I think it is about how fast we say bad words or do bad things to someone causing pain to them within (like an arrow it pierce a heart), we may have forgotten about it but later find that the ill-effect have stayed unappeased for a long while (unbroken arrow) and in the same passion doing good things to someone, makes your deeds, unforgettable (like a memorized song from beginning to end). Cheers !! -
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good
philip jacobs, I think you're overanalizing this. Sometimes it's nice to read (and write) poems with a simple meaning and form. personally, I can't relate an arrow and a song to the governments of europe, but who am I to say if longfellow did? but, perhaps it's possible that he just scribbled down a poem with no hidden meanings or messages. anyway, on to the poem...
the way I interperated this was that both the arrow and the song travled far, and the shooter didn't know where they went. this reminded me of an activity we did at camp- don't really remember what it was, but it had to do with 'tzedaka' or good deeds. anyway, the most important kind of tzedaka was when the giver didn't know the identity of the reciever and the reciever didn't know the identity of the giver. it's sort of the same thing in the poem. anyway, in all, I liked this poem. yeah, i'm done. -
bad
I think the poem could have been much better, it was not one of longfellows best pieces of work such as aftermath wich has an unbelieveable amount of meaning behind it. I think that as blatent as The Arrow and The Song is it has a shallow and misperceived meaning. most people belive that this dull poem is about the effect that one person can leave on another unintentionally, such as a person wishing another a pleasant evening, and the person that said it forgot all about when they had done so when the person who recieved the action remembered that the short aquiantance had made their day so much better. However I think that this poem is talking about how people need to learn from their mistakes. the tree represents the past and the arrow which like the tree is made out of wood collide but shouldn't because the arrow will hinder the tree's growth. which is similar to the mistkes the governments of europe repeating themselves.and the song also depicts how a person can make a mistake and another will outright follow them. -
I like it i can actually understand it i think it is saying that for action there is a consequence sometimes good and sometimes bad. he is saying that even things we don't remember doing someone does.
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Ralph Varn on Sep 30, 2002 said: (65.206.78.158)
Verdict: neutral
Isn't it both interesting and surprising how what we do and/or what we say affects the lives of those around us especially when we have not the slightest thought that it does so? Perhaps Longfellow is suggesting that we more closely understand this and as a result more positively uplift those within the world around us, those indeed who are searching for a soothing song and not a hurting heart.
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I rather like this peice....we throw so many things into the air, and we very rarely ever know afterwards what affect, or effect they realy have. And it's a rather simple form, which I think, makes the meaning all that more powerful.
Amanda
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