"The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls" is a poem from Ultima Thule (1880), one of the last collections published by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882). The poem tells the story of a mysterious "traveller" who rushes along a shore as the sun sets. Night falls, the rising tide washes the traveller's footprints from the sand, and the next morning the world goes on as usual—but the traveller never reappears. The poem's brief, eerie tale symbolizes the journey from life to death, perhaps indirectly reflecting on Longfellow's own impending mortality.
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The Full Text of “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls”
1The tide rises, the tide falls,
2The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;
3Along the sea-sands damp and brown
4The traveller hastens toward the town,
5 And the tide rises, the tide falls.
6Darkness settles on roofs and walls,
7But the sea, the sea in darkness calls;
8The little waves, with their soft, white hands,
9Efface the footprints in the sands,
10 And the tide rises, the tide falls.
11The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls
12Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls;
13The day returns, but nevermore
14Returns the traveller to the shore,
15 And the tide rises, the tide falls.
The Full Text of “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls”
1The tide rises, the tide falls,
2The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;
3Along the sea-sands damp and brown
4The traveller hastens toward the town,
5 And the tide rises, the tide falls.
6Darkness settles on roofs and walls,
7But the sea, the sea in darkness calls;
8The little waves, with their soft, white hands,
9Efface the footprints in the sands,
10 And the tide rises, the tide falls.
11The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls
12Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls;
13The day returns, but nevermore
14Returns the traveller to the shore,
15 And the tide rises, the tide falls.
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“The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls” Summary
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“The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls” Themes
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The Mystery and Finality of Death
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Humanity vs. Nature
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls”
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Line 1
The tide rises, the tide falls,
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Line 2
The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;
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Lines 3-5
Along the sea-sands damp and brown
The traveller hastens toward the town,
And the tide rises, the tide falls. -
Lines 6-7
Darkness settles on roofs and walls,
But the sea, the sea in darkness calls; -
Lines 8-10
The little waves, with their soft, white hands,
Efface the footprints in the sands,
And the tide rises, the tide falls. -
Lines 11-12
The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls
Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls; -
Lines 13-15
The day returns, but nevermore
Returns the traveller to the shore,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.
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“The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls” Symbols
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The Sea and the Seashore
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Darkness and Light
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The Traveller's Journey
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“The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Alliteration
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Assonance
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Repetition
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Antithesis
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Parataxis
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Sibilance
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Personification
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Metaphor
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Allusion
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“The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Curlew
- Hastens
- Efface
- Hostler
- Nevermore
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls” Speaker
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“The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls”
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More “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls” Resources
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External Resources
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The Maine Historical Society and Longfellow — Learn more about the poet's life and work courtesy of the Maine Historical Society.
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Longfellow's Life Story — Read the Poetry Foundation's biography of Longfellow, including context for the collection in which "The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls" first appeared.
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Lecture on Longfellow's Life — Watch Longfellow scholar Charles C. Calhoun deliver a lecture on the poet's life and work.
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Early Text of "The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls" — Read the Internet Archive's scan of the poem in an early (1882) edition of Ultima Thule, the collection in which it was first published.
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A Guide to the Fireside Poets — Read the Academy of American Poets' introduction to the "Fireside Poets," a school of 19th-century American writers in which some critics have grouped Longfellow.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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