In the Harbour: Prelude
In the Harbour: Prelude - meaning Summary
Songs Resist Being Named
Longfellow compares songs or poetic inspirations to buried treasures that dissipate when named. He warns that trying to put a living thing into words can make it vanish, so rather than exhaustively explain, he prefers to mark and hint. The speaker leaves the secret half-told, preserving the mystery while guiding others who might follow the trace to discover the deeper value for themselves.
Read Complete AnalysesAs treasures that men seek, Deep buried in sea-sands, Vanish if they but speak, And elude their eager hands, So ye escape and slip, O songs, and fade away, When the word is on my lip To interpret what ye say. Were it not better, then, To let the treasures rest Hid from the eyes of men, Locked in their iron chest? I have but marked the place, But half the secret told, That, following this slight trace, Others may find the gold.
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