The Descent of the Muses
The Descent of the Muses - meaning Summary
Art Bringing Everyday Grace
Longfellow depicts the nine Muses descending from Mount Pierus to live among ordinary people. Their presence changes perception of everyday life, conferring beauty and deeper meaning on work and custom. Though proud, they willingly teach arts and song in rural schools, so that housewives, farmers, and their daughters gain access to culture. The poem celebrates art’s democratizing power to ennoble common existence.
Read Complete AnalysesNine sisters, beautiful in form and face, Came from their convent on the shining heights Of Pierus, the mountain of delights, To dwell among the people at its base. Then seemed the world to change. All time and space, Splendor of cloudless days and starry nights, And men and manners, and all sounds and sights, Had a new meaning, a diviner grace. Proud were these sisters, but were not too proud To teach in schools of little country towns Science and song, and all the arts that please; So that while housewives span, and farmers ploughed, Their comely daughters, clad in homespun gowns, Learned the sweet songs of the Pierides.
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