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The Annotated Edition

A SAMARITAN WOMAN. by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Summary, meaning, line-by-line analysis & FAQ.

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This poem places us in the mind of the Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well, a character from the Gospel of John, just before her encounter with Jesus.

Poet
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Themes
faith, home, identity
The PoemFull text

A SAMARITAN WOMAN.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The sun is hot; and the dry east-wind blowing Fills all the air with dust. The birds are silent; Even the little fieldfares in the corn No longer twitter; only the grasshoppers Sing their incessant song of sun and summer. I wonder who those strangers were I met Going into the city? Galileans They seemed to me in speaking, when they asked The short way to the market-place. Perhaps They are fishermen from the lake; or travellers, Looking to find the inn. And here is some one Sitting beside the well; another stranger; A Galilean also by his looks. What can so many Jews be doing here Together in Samaria? Are they going Up to Jerusalem to the Passover? Our Passover is better here at Sychem, For here is Ebal; here is Gerizim, The mountain where our father Abraham Went up to offer Isaac; here the tomb Of Joseph,--for they brought his bones Egypt And buried them in this land, and it is holy.

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

This poem places us in the mind of the Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well, a character from the Gospel of John, just before her encounter with Jesus. She's overheated, weary, and curious about the strangers she keeps encountering, and she subtly protects her people's sacred sites from the implied superiority of Jerusalem. It captures a small, intimate moment that brings a well-known Bible story to life in a very human way.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. The sun is hot; and the dry east-wind blowing / Fills all the air with dust.

    Editor's note

    Longfellow begins with raw physical sensations — heat, dust, wind, and silence. The birds have fallen silent, leaving only the grasshoppers chirping. This isn't merely an introduction to the scene; it establishes a stifling stillness that reflects the woman's loneliness. She stands at the well by herself in the scorching midday sun, which, in the original Gospel narrative, indicates that she is an outcast, choosing to stay away from the other women who gather during the cooler morning hours.

  2. I wonder who those strangers were I met / Going into the city?

    Editor's note

    The woman's internal monologue starts here. She notices the strangers and recognizes them as Galileans from their accent, still mulling them over in her thoughts. Her note that they asked for the marketplace adds a relatable touch that anchors the biblical scene in everyday life. The word "Perhaps" (which Longfellow uses, even if we tend to skip it in analysis) hints at a mind exploring options, more curious than suspicious.

  3. And here is some one / Sitting beside the well; another stranger;

    Editor's note

    The woman sees Jesus at the well. Longfellow presents this moment in a subtle way—he is simply "some one," just another stranger. She recognizes him as a Galilean by his looks, and her mild frustration ("What can so many Jews be doing here / Together in Samaria?") feels entirely reasonable. Jews and Samaritans had a long history of mutual disdain, and she views his presence as unusual, not yet as something significant.

  4. Our Passover is better here at Sychem, / For here is Ebal; here is Gerizim,

    Editor's note

    This is the emotional core of the poem. The woman begins a quiet, proud defense of her sacred land. She names the holy sites — Ebal, Gerizim, the spot where Abraham nearly sacrificed Isaac, the tomb of Joseph — presenting them as proof that her people's claim to holiness holds as much weight as Jerusalem's. It feels like a familiar argument she has made repeatedly, a practiced response to a world that often belittles her and her community.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone feels conversational and carries a sense of quiet pride. Longfellow uses blank verse—unrhymed iambic pentameter—which allows the woman's thoughts to flow like natural speech, avoiding the stiffness of a formal address. Her voice has a warmth mixed with a hint of weariness, and beneath her everyday remarks about the heat and strangers lies a strong sense of dignified defiance. She's not putting on a show for anyone; she's just sharing her thoughts openly.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The well
Jacob's Well stands as the poem's physical and spiritual heart. In the ancient Near East, wells served as vital meeting spots and life sources, and this one holds significant biblical importance — Jacob excavated it, and Jesus will share "living water" with the woman from its depths. Additionally, it highlights the woman's isolation: she arrives alone at noon, unlike the other women who gather at dawn.
The east wind and dust
The dry east wind, known as the *khamsin* or *sirocco*, is a genuine weather phenomenon in the region. It also holds biblical connotations related to hardship and divine testing. The dust it raises clouds visibility — the woman cannot yet clearly see who she is about to meet.
Mount Gerizim
Gerizim is the holy mountain for Samaritans, standing in contrast to Jerusalem's Temple Mount. The woman's strong belief in its sacredness, connecting it to Abraham and Isaac, reflects Samaritan identity and highlights the deep religious and ethnic divide that has existed between Samaritans and Jews.
The grasshoppers
The grasshoppers are the only creatures still chirping in the midday heat, symbolizing persistence and how nature remains indifferent to human struggles. Their "incessant song" stands out against the quiet of the birds and subtly highlights the woman's own steadfast, ongoing inner life.
The tomb of Joseph
Joseph's bones were taken from Egypt and buried at Shechem (Sychem), representing a return home and a connection to ancestry. The woman references them to emphasize that this land is sacred — it is the resting place of her ancestors, which is significant.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Longfellow published this poem in his collection *Christus: A Mystery* (1872), a three-part dramatic work that traces the history of Christianity from the Nativity to the Puritan era. "A Samaritan Woman" is part of the first section, *The Divine Tragedy*, which dramatizes scenes from the Gospels. Throughout his career, Longfellow was drawn to giving voice to figures who exist on the fringes of grand historical narratives. The source text is John 4:1–42, where Jesus speaks to a Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well near Sychar (Sychem). Samaritans, a people of mixed Israelite and Assyrian descent, worshipped on Mount Gerizim rather than in Jerusalem, leading to their disdain by first-century Jews. Longfellow's decision to present the scene as the woman's interior monologue—before Jesus even addresses her—reflects a modern, humanizing approach for a Victorian poet engaging with sacred material.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

It's a dramatic monologue delivered by the Samaritan woman from the Gospel of John, chapter 4. As she walks to Jacob's Well at noon, she notices strangers in town and reflects on her people's sacred history — just moments before meeting Jesus. Longfellow captures her inner thoughts right before that significant encounter unfolds.

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