LESSON 28
THE REAPER AND THE FLOWERS

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (b. 1807, d. 1882), the son of Hon. Stephen Longfellow, an eminent lawyer, was born in Portland, Maine. He graduated at Bowdoin College in 1825. After spending four years in Europe, he was Professor of Modern Languages and Literature at Bowdoin till 1835, when he was appointed to the chair of Modern Languages and Belles-lettres in Harvard University. He resigned his professorship in 1854, after which time he resided in Cambridge, Mass. Longfellow wrote many original works both in verse and prose, and made several translations, the most famous of which is that of the works of Dante. His poetry is always chaste and elegant, showing traces of careful scholarship in every line. The numerous and varied editions of his poems are evidences of their popularity.

1. There is a Reaper whose name is Death,

And, with his sickle keen,

He reaps the bearded grain at a breath,

And the flowers that grow between.

2. “Shall I have naught that is fair? ” saith he;

“Have naught but the bearded grain?

Though the breath of these flowers is sweet to me,

I will give them all back again.”

3. He gazed at the flowers with tearful eyes,

He kissed their drooping leaves;

It was for the Lord of Paradise

He bound them in his sheaves.

4. “My Lord has need of these flowerets gay, ”

The Reaper said, and smiled;

“Dear tokens of the earth are they,

Where he was once a child.

5. “They shall all bloom in the fields of light,

Transplanted by my care,

And saints, upon their garments white,

These sacred blossoms wear.”

6. And the mother gave in tears and pain

The flowers she most did love;

She knew she should find them all again

In the fields of light above.

7. O, not in cruelty, not in wrath,

The Reaper came that day,

'Twas an angel visited the green earth,

And took the flowers away.

STUDY GUIDE

A. Word Definition

1.naught:nothing.

2.sheaves:bundles of grain.

3.flowerets:small flowers.

4.tokens:souvenirs which recall a person,thing or event.

5.transplanted:removed and planted in another place.

6.sacred:dedicated to a god.

7.wrath:anger.

B. Comprehension Questions

1. Do you think the author of “The Reaper and the Flowers” was a Christian? Why or why not?

2. What tool does the Reaper use to harvest the grain and flowers?

3. Label these statements true or false.

a. The Reaper's name is Life. _____

b. The Lord of Paradise is God. _____

c. A sickle is a kitchen utensil. _____

4. Do you think followers of most religions could understand this poem? Explain.

5. A metaphor is a word or phrase used to make a comparison between two people, things, animals or places. Give three examples of metaphors from this poem.

6. Many great writers have written about depression. Go on the Internet and find two others.

7. Did you enjoy reading this poem? Why or why not?

8. What does Longfellow mean by “the breath of flowers” in the seventh line of the poem?

C. Writing Work

Write a short blog post about harvesting grain.