Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, VENICE; SONNET, by HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW



Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

VENICE; SONNET, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: White swan of cities, slumbering in thy nest
Last Line: In air their unsubstantial masonry.
Subject(s): Architecture & Architects; Venice, Italy


White swan of cities, slumbering in thy nest
So wonderfully built among the reeds
Of the lagoon, that fences thee and feeds,
As sayeth thy old historian and thy guest!
White water-lily, cradled and caressed
By ocean streams, and from the silt and weeds
Lifting thy golden filaments and seeds,
Thy sun-illumined spires, thy crown and crest!
White phantom city, whose untrodden streets
Are rivers, and whose pavements are the shifting
Shadows of palaces and strips of sky;
I wait to see thee vanish like the fleets
Seen in mirage, or towers of cloud uplifting
In air their unsubstantial masonry.






Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...



Home: PoetryExplorer.net