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Poem
May 4, 1855
The Southern Enterprise
Greenville, Greenville County, South Carolina
What is this article about?
A light-hearted youth dreams of a lost wife and child, symbolized by two locks of hair—brown from the mother and blonde from the child—evoking profound grief and a wish for death upon seeing them.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
Selected Poetry
The Two Locks of Hair
BY LONGFELLOW.
A youth light hearted and content.
I wander through the world:
Here, Arab-like, is pitched my tent
And straight again is furled.
Yet oft I dream that once a wife,
Close in my heart was locked
And in the sweet repose of life,
A blessed child I rocked.
I waked. Away that dream—away!
Too long did it remain!
So long that both by night and day
It ever comes again.
The end lies ever in my thought;
To a grave, so cold and deep,
The mother beautiful was brought:
Then dropped the child asleep.
But now the dream is wholly o’er,
I bathe mine eyes and see
And wander through the world once more,
A youth so light and free.
Two locks—and they are wondrous fair—
Left me that vision mild;
The brown is from the mother’s hair,
The blonde is from the child.
And when I see that lock of gold,
Pale grows the evening red;
And when the dark lock I behold,
I wish that I were dead.
The Two Locks of Hair
BY LONGFELLOW.
A youth light hearted and content.
I wander through the world:
Here, Arab-like, is pitched my tent
And straight again is furled.
Yet oft I dream that once a wife,
Close in my heart was locked
And in the sweet repose of life,
A blessed child I rocked.
I waked. Away that dream—away!
Too long did it remain!
So long that both by night and day
It ever comes again.
The end lies ever in my thought;
To a grave, so cold and deep,
The mother beautiful was brought:
Then dropped the child asleep.
But now the dream is wholly o’er,
I bathe mine eyes and see
And wander through the world once more,
A youth so light and free.
Two locks—and they are wondrous fair—
Left me that vision mild;
The brown is from the mother’s hair,
The blonde is from the child.
And when I see that lock of gold,
Pale grows the evening red;
And when the dark lock I behold,
I wish that I were dead.
What sub-type of article is it?
Elegy
Ballad
What themes does it cover?
Death Mourning
What keywords are associated?
Longfellow
Locks Of Hair
Lost Wife
Lost Child
Dream Vision
Grief
Mourning
What entities or persons were involved?
Longfellow
Poem Details
Title
The Two Locks Of Hair
Author
Longfellow
Key Lines
Two Locks—And They Are Wondrous Fair—
Left Me That Vision Mild;
The Brown Is From The Mother’s Hair,
The Blonde Is From The Child.
And When I See That Lock Of Gold,
Pale Grows The Evening Red;
And When The Dark Lock I Behold,
I Wish That I Were Dead.