O suffering, sad humanity! O ye afflicted ones, who lie Steeped to the lips in misery, Longing, yet afraid to die, Patient, though sorely tried!
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
A feeling of sadness and longing, That is not akin to pain, And resembles sorrow only As the mist resembles the rain.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a deep emotional state that is a mix of sadness and longing, yet not entirely painful.
This quote captures a nuanced emotional experience characterized by a profound sense of sadness and yearning that does not cause suffering. Longfellow uses the imagery of mist to convey how these feelings can be gentle and elusive, similar in character to sorrow, but distinct in their lack of heaviness or pain.
Themes
SadnessLongingSorrowEmotionFeelings
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a heartfelt speech at a memorial service to highlight the bittersweet nature of memories.
More from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
All quotes →There are moments in life, when the heart is so full of emotion That if by chance it be shaken, or into its depths like a pebble Drops some careless word, it overflows, and its secret, Spilt on the ground like water, can never be gathered together.
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
To be seventy years old is like climbing the Alps. You reach a snow-crowned summit, and see behind you the deep valley stretching miles and miles away, and before you other summits higher and whiter, which you may have strength to climb, or may not. Then you sit down and meditate and wonder which it will be.
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
God is not dead; nor doth He sleep; ... _x000D_ The wrong shall fail,_x000D_ The right prevail,_x000D_ With peace on earth, good will to men.
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
In the long run men hit only what they aim at.
Henry Wadsworth LongfellowRead
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