Thank you for visiting SNEWPapers!
Sign up free
Poem
August 17, 1843
Herald Of The Times
Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island
What is this article about?
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem 'AFFECTION' praises a woman's affection over her intellect, humbly comparing the speaker to great men while elevating her in the world of emotions, likening it to an unchangeable pure fire.
Clipping
OCR Quality
95%
Excellent
Full Text
AFFECTION.—by H. W. Longfellow.
What I most prize in woman
Is her affection, not her intellect.
Compare me with the great men of the earth—
What am I? Why, a pygmy among giants!
But if thou lovest—mark me. I say lovest—
The greatest of thy sex excels thee not!
The world of the affections is thy world—
Not that of man's ambition. In that stillness
Which most becomes a woman, calm and holy,
Thou sittest by the fireside of the heart,
Feeding its flame. The element of fire
Is pure. It cannot change nor hide its nature.
But bears as brightly in a gypsy camp.
As in a palace hall.
What I most prize in woman
Is her affection, not her intellect.
Compare me with the great men of the earth—
What am I? Why, a pygmy among giants!
But if thou lovest—mark me. I say lovest—
The greatest of thy sex excels thee not!
The world of the affections is thy world—
Not that of man's ambition. In that stillness
Which most becomes a woman, calm and holy,
Thou sittest by the fireside of the heart,
Feeding its flame. The element of fire
Is pure. It cannot change nor hide its nature.
But bears as brightly in a gypsy camp.
As in a palace hall.
What sub-type of article is it?
Ode
What themes does it cover?
Love Courtship
Moral Virtue
What keywords are associated?
Affection
Woman
Longfellow
Love
Intellect
Fire
Heart
What entities or persons were involved?
H. W. Longfellow
Poem Details
Title
Affection
Author
H. W. Longfellow
Subject
On Affection In Woman
Form / Style
Rhymed Couplets
Key Lines
What I Most Prize In Woman
Is Her Affection, Not Her Intellect.
But If Thou Lovest—Mark Me. I Say Lovest—
The Greatest Of Thy Sex Excels Thee Not!
The World Of The Affections Is Thy World—
Not That Of Man's Ambition.
Thou Sittest By The Fireside Of The Heart,
Feeding Its Flame.