The Entry into Jerusalem
THE DAUGHTER, singing.Blind Bartimeus at the gatesOf Jericho in darkness waits;He hears the crowd;—he hears a breathSay, “It is Christ of Nazareth!”And calls, in tones of agony,Ἰησοῦ, ἐλέησόν με!
The thronging multitudes increase;Blind Bartimeus, hold thy peace!But still, above the noisy crowd,The beggar’s cry is shrill and loud;Until they say, “He calleth thee!”Θάρσει ἔγειραι, φωνεῖ δε!
Then saith the Christ, as silent standsThe crowd, “What wilt thou at my hands?”And he replies, “O give me light!Rabbi, restore the blind man’s sight.”And Jesus answers, ὝπαγεἩ πίστις σου σέσωκέ δε!
Ye that have eyes, yet cannot see,In darkness and in misery,Recall those mighty Voices Three,Ἰησοῦ, ἐλέησόν με!Θάρσει ἔγειραι, ὕπαγε!Ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέ δε!
THE MOTHER.Thy faith hath saved thee! Ah, how true that is!For I had faith; and when the Master cameInto the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, fleeingFrom those who sought to slay him, I went forthAnd cried unto Him, saying: Have mercy on me,O Lord, thou Son of David! for my daughterIs grievously tormented with a devil.But he passed on, and answered not a word.And his disciples said, beseeching Him:Send her away! She crieth after us!And then the Master answered them and said:I am not sent but unto the lost sheepOf the House of Israel! Then I worshipped Him,Saying: Lord help me! And He answered me,It is not meet to take the children's breadAnd cast it unto dogs! Truth, Lord, I said;And yet the dogs may eat the crumbs which fallFrom off their master's table; and he turned,And answered me; and said to me: O woman,Great is thy faith; then be it unto theeEven as thou wilt. And from that very hourThou wast made whole, my darling! my delight!
There came upon my dark and troubled mindA calm, as when the tumult of the CitySuddenly ceases, and I lie and hearThe silver trumpets of the Temple blowingTheir welcome to the Sabbath. Still I wonder,That one who was so far away from meAnd could not see me, by his thought aloneHad power to heal me. Oh that I could see Him!
THE MOTHER.Perhaps thou wilt; for I have brought thee hereTo keep the holy Passover, and layThine offering of thanksgiving on the altar.Thou mayst both see and hear Him. Hark!
VOICES afar off.Hosanna!
A crowd comes pouring through the city gate!O mother, look!
VOICES in the street.Hosanna to the SonOf David!
A great multitude of peopleFills all the street; and riding on an assComes one of noble aspect, like a king!The people spread their garments in the way,And scatter branches of the palm-trees!
VOICES.BlessedIs he that cometh in the name of the Lord!Hosanna in the highest!
Who is this?
VOICES.Jesus of Nazareth!
Mother, it is he!
VOICES.He hath called Lazarus of BethanyOut of his grave, and raised him from the dead!Hosanna in the highest!
PHARISEES.Ye perceiveThat nothing we prevail. Behold, the worldIs all gone after him!
What majesty,What power is in that care-worn countenance!What sweetness, what compassion! I no longerWonder that he hath healed me!
VOICES.Peace in heaven,And glory in the highest!
PHARISEES.Rabbi! Rabbi!Rebuke thy followers!
CHRISTUS.Should they hold their peaceThe very stones beneath us would cry out!
All hath passed by me like a dream of wonder!But I have seen Him, and have heard his voice,And I am satisfied! I ask no more!
Words in this poem
- saith
- 3d pers. sing. pres. of Say.
- rabbi n.
- Master; lord; teacher; -- a Jewish title of respect or honor for a teacher or doctor of the law.
- tyre n.
- Attire. See 2d and 3d Tire.
- went n.
- Course; way; path; journey; direction.
- wast
- The second person singular of the verb be, in the indicative mood, imperfect tense; -- now used only in solemn or poetical style.
- trumpets n.
- A plant (Sarracenia flava) with long, hollow leaves.
- thanksgiving n.
- The act of rending thanks, or expressing gratitude for favors or mercies.
- afar adv.
- At, to, or from a great distance; far away; -- often used with from preceding, or off following; as, he was seen from afar; I saw him afar off. [Pref. a-.(for on or of) + far.]
- hosanna n.
- A Hebrew exclamation of praise to the Lord, or an invocation of blessings. [Gr. hoshi'ah nnasave now, save, we pray, hoshia' to save (Hiphil, a causative form, of yasha') + na, a particle.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Entry into Jerusalem is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Complete Poetical Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Project Gutenberg ebook #1365; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Entry into Jerusalem, in Christus: A Mystery (1872), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #1365, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/longfellow-christus/the-entry-into-jerusalem.html, id L19179.
Form and metre
The Entry into Jerusalem is 105 lines in 22 stanzas.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 -AABB-- singing · gatesA · waitsA · breathB · nazarethB · agony · —
- 2 AABB-- increaseA · peaceA · crowdB · loudB · thee · —
- 3 AABBCC standsA · handsA · lightB · sightB · — · —
- 4 A-ABBB seeA · misery · threeA · — · — · —
- 5 -----A---B-C-BACC---A-- mother · is · came · fleeing · forth · meA · daughter · devil · word · himB · us · saidC · sheep · himB · meA · breadC · saidC · fall · turned · woman · theeA · hour · delight
- 12 -A-A voices · blessedA · lord · highestA
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| THE DAUGHTER, singing. | 5 | ·/˘/˘ |
| Blind Bartimeus at the gates | 7 | ······· |
| Of Jericho in darkness waits; | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| He hears the crowd;—he hears a breath | 8 | ········ |
| Say, “It is Christ of Nazareth!” | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| And calls, in tones of agony, | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| Ἰησοῦ, ἐλέησόν με! | 0 | |
| The thronging multitudes increase; | 8 | ·/˘/˘·˘/ |
| Blind Bartimeus, hold thy peace! | 7 | ······· |
| But still, above the noisy crowd, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| The beggar’s cry is shrill and loud; | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Until they say, “He calleth thee!” | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Θάρσει ἔγειραι, φωνεῖ δε! | 0 | |
| Then saith the Christ, as silent stands | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| The crowd, “What wilt thou at my hands?” | 8 | ········ |
| And he replies, “O give me light! | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| Rabbi, restore the blind man’s sight.” | 8 | /·˘/···· |
| And Jesus answers, Ὕπαγε | 5 | ·/˘/˘ |
| Ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέ δε! | 0 | |
| Ye that have eyes, yet cannot see, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| In darkness and in misery, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘˘ |
| Recall those mighty Voices Three, | 8 | ˘/·/˘/˘· |
| Ἰησοῦ, ἐλέησόν με! | 0 | |
| Θάρσει ἔγειραι, ὕπαγε! | 0 | |
| Ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέ δε! | 0 | |
| THE MOTHER. | 3 | ·/˘ |
| Thy faith hath saved thee! Ah, how true that is! | 10 | ·········· |
| For I had faith; and when the Master came | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, fleeing | 11 | ·······/˘/˘ |
| From those who sought to slay him, I went forth | 10 | ·········· |
| And cried unto Him, saying: Have mercy on me, | 12 | ·····/˘·/˘·· |
| O Lord, thou Son of David! for my daughter | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| Is grievously tormented with a devil. | 11 | ·/˘˘/·˘··/˘ |
| But he passed on, and answered not a word. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| And his disciples said, beseeching Him: | 10 | ··˘/˘·˘/˘· |
| Send her away! She crieth after us! | 9 | ··˘/····· |
| And then the Master answered them and said: | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| I am not sent but unto the lost sheep | 10 | ·········· |
| Of the House of Israel! Then I worshipped Him, | 11 | ····/˘··/˘· |
| Saying: Lord help me! And He answered me, | 10 | /˘·····/˘· |
| It is not meet to take the children's bread | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| And cast it unto dogs! Truth, Lord, I said; | 10 | ·········· |
| And yet the dogs may eat the crumbs which fall | 10 | ·········· |
| From off their master's table; and he turned, | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| And answered me; and said to me: O woman, | 11 | ·/˘······/˘ |
| Great is thy faith; then be it unto thee | 10 | ·········· |
| Even as thou wilt. And from that very hour | 11 | /······/˘/˘ |
| Thou wast made whole, my darling! my delight! | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| There came upon my dark and troubled mind | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| A calm, as when the tumult of the City | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| Suddenly ceases, and I lie and hear | 10 | /˘˘/˘····· |
| The silver trumpets of the Temple blowing | 11 | ·/˘/˘··/˘/˘ |
| Their welcome to the Sabbath. Still I wonder, | 11 | ·/˘··/˘··/˘ |
| That one who was so far away from me | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| And could not see me, by his thought alone | 10 | ········˘/ |
| Had power to heal me. Oh that I could see Him! | 11 | ·/········· |
| THE MOTHER. | 3 | ·/˘ |
| Perhaps thou wilt; for I have brought thee here | 10 | ˘/········ |
| To keep the holy Passover, and lay | 10 | ···/˘/·˘·· |
| Thine offering of thanksgiving on the altar. | 11 | ·/˘··/˘··/˘ |
| Thou mayst both see and hear Him. Hark! | 8 | ········ |
| VOICES afar off. | 5 | /˘˘/· |
| Hosanna! | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| A crowd comes pouring through the city gate! | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| O mother, look! | 4 | ·/˘· |
| VOICES in the street. | 5 | /˘··· |
| Hosanna to the Son | 6 | ˘/˘··· |
| Of David! | 3 | ·/˘ |
| A great multitude of people | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| Fills all the street; and riding on an ass | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Comes one of noble aspect, like a king! | 10 | ···/˘/···· |
| The people spread their garments in the way, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| And scatter branches of the palm-trees! | 9 | ·/˘/˘···· |
| VOICES. | 2 | /˘ |
| Blessed | 1 | · |
| Is he that cometh in the name of the Lord! | 11 | ···/˘······ |
| Hosanna in the highest! | 7 | ˘/˘··/˘ |
| Who is this? | 3 | ··· |
| VOICES. | 2 | /˘ |
| Jesus of Nazareth! | 6 | /˘·/˘˘ |
| Mother, it is he! | 5 | /˘··· |
| VOICES. | 2 | /˘ |
| He hath called Lazarus of Bethany | 10 | ···/˘˘·/˘˘ |
| Out of his grave, and raised him from the dead! | 10 | ·········· |
| Hosanna in the highest! | 7 | ˘/˘··/˘ |
| PHARISEES. | 2 | ·· |
| Ye perceive | 3 | ·˘/ |
| That nothing we prevail. Behold, the world | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘/·· |
| Is all gone after him! | 6 | ······ |
| What majesty, | 4 | ·/˘˘ |
| What power is in that care-worn countenance! | 11 | ·/˘·····/˘˘ |
| What sweetness, what compassion! I no longer | 11 | ·/˘·˘/˘··/˘ |
| Wonder that he hath healed me! | 7 | /˘····· |
| VOICES. | 2 | /˘ |
| Peace in heaven, | 4 | ··/˘ |
| And glory in the highest! | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| PHARISEES. | 2 | ·· |
| Rabbi! Rabbi! | 4 | /·/· |
| Rebuke thy followers! | 6 | ˘/·/˘˘ |
| CHRISTUS. | 2 | ·· |
| Should they hold their peace | 5 | ····· |
| The very stones beneath us would cry out! | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| All hath passed by me like a dream of wonder! | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| But I have seen Him, and have heard his voice, | 10 | ·········· |
| And I am satisfied! I ask no more! | 10 | ···/˘····· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.