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Bartimeus by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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Bartimeus is a dramatic monologue where an elderly blind man waits outside the ancient city of Jericho, sharing the city’s rich history with a younger companion named Chilion.

Poet
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Core theme
Faith
The PoemFull text

Bartimeus

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Be not impatient, Chilion; it is pleasant To sit here in the shadow of the walls Under the palms, and hear the hum of bees, And rumor of voices passing to and fro, And drowsy bells of caravans on their way To Sidon or Damascus. This is still The City of Palms, and yet the walls thou seest Are not the old walls, not the walls where Rahab Hid the two spies, and let them down by cords Out of the window, when the gates were shut, And it was dark. Those walls were overthrown When Joshua's army shouted, and the priests Blew with their seven trumpets.

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Sourced from Project Gutenberg

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§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

Bartimeus is a dramatic monologue where an elderly blind man waits outside the ancient city of Jericho, sharing the city’s rich history with a younger companion named Chilion. He recounts tales from the fall of its walls during Joshua's time to the moment when Jesus healed a blind beggar on that same road. The poem explores how a single location can embody centuries of stories, and how this blind man perceives that history more vividly than anyone else. It concludes with the speaker suggesting that he might be Bartimeus, the blind man who was healed by Jesus in the Gospels.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. Be not impatient, Chilion; it is pleasant / To sit here in the shadow of the walls

    Editor's note

    The speaker, an elderly blind man, softly tells his young companion to take it easy and just be in the moment. As they sit in the shade of Jericho's walls, he encourages Chilion to listen to the lively sensory world surrounding them: the buzzing of bees, distant voices, and the ringing of bells from caravans on their way to Sidon or Damascus. For someone who cannot see, these sounds are his connection to the world, and he hopes Chilion can enjoy them just as much.

  2. This is still / The City of Palms, and yet the walls thou seest

    Editor's note

    The speaker shifts from the current scene to explore deep history. Jericho was once called 'the City of Palms,' a nickname he uses to ground the listener in time. He then quickly undermines the visible walls—those that Chilion can see—by noting they are *not* the original walls. The true old walls have vanished, destroyed ages ago, and what stands now is a later structure. This creates the poem's central tension: what we observe is only part of the story.

  3. Are not the old walls, not the walls where Rahab / Hid the two spies, and let them down by cords

    Editor's note

    Here, the speaker references the Book of Joshua. Rahab was a woman in Jericho who hid two Israelite spies sent by Joshua, protecting them from the king's soldiers and lowering them to safety from her window using a scarlet cord. The blind man recounts this story effortlessly, as someone who has heard and shared it numerous times — it resides in his memory just as sighted people hold onto images.

  4. And it was dark. Those walls were overthrown / When Joshua's army shouted, and the priests

    Editor's note

    The phrase 'and it was dark' has a dual significance: it not only sets the scene for the escape at night, but it also subtly reflects the speaker's own enduring darkness. The account of Jericho's walls falling — that iconic moment when Joshua's army marched for seven days and the priests blew their trumpets, leading to the walls crumbling — is shared almost nonchalantly, as though the speaker experienced it firsthand. This succinctness gives the destruction an air of inevitability and completeness.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone is slow and reflective — the voice of someone who has found comfort in stillness. There’s a warmth in how the speaker talks to Chilion, reminiscent of a grandfather getting ready to share a long tale. Beneath this calmness, however, lies a quiet reverence: this old man occupies a space rich with centuries of sacred history, and he is aware of it. The poem maintains a soft voice, yet it holds significant weight.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The walls of Jericho
The walls reflect the layers of human history, with each generation constructing anew atop the remnants of the previous one. The poem's first lesson is that the visible walls are *not* the original ones: what appears before us is never the complete truth. This presents a quietly ironic perspective for a blind man.
The shadow of the walls
Sitting in shadow is the blind man's natural state — he exists without light. Yet, this shadow also represents comfort and shelter, not danger. Longfellow presents blindness as a form of closeness to the unseen world instead of a loss.
The scarlet cord
Rahab's cord, which was used to lower the spies to safety, symbolizes salvation and covenant in the Bible. Within the larger poem, it ties into the theme of rescue—similar to how Jesus heals and 'rescues' blind Bartimeus from darkness.
The seven trumpets
Sound, rather than sight, was what brought down the walls of Jericho. For a blind man who relies on sound to understand his surroundings—bees, bells, voices—this detail carries significant weight. The most remarkable event in the city's history happened through hearing, not seeing.

§06Form & structure

Form & structure

Meter
blank verse

§07Historical context

Historical context

Longfellow published this poem in his 1854 collection *The Masque of Pandora and Other Poems*, although earlier versions had surfaced. It pulls directly from two biblical stories: Rahab and the spies in Joshua 2, and the healing of blind Bartimeus in Mark 10 and Luke 18. Longfellow had a strong interest in the Holy Land — he visited in 1868 — and many of his poems incorporate biblical geography as a backdrop for reflections on faith, time, and human resilience. The dramatic monologue form, where a speaker talks to a specific listener, was quite popular in the Victorian era and allowed poets to channel historical or biblical figures without making explicit theological statements. Longfellow employs this technique here, letting the blind man's viewpoint convey the theological message subtly, without overt preaching.

§08FAQ

Questions readers ask

Who is Bartimeus in the Bible?

Bartimeus (or Bartimaeus) is mentioned in the Gospel of Mark (10:46–52) and Luke (18:35–43) as a blind beggar sitting by the roadside near Jericho. When he learns that Jesus is nearby, he cries out to him, and Jesus restores his sight. In Aramaic, his name translates to 'son of Timaeus.' Longfellow features him as the speaker in this poem, bringing him back to Jericho after his healing.

Who is Chilion, the person the speaker is talking to?

Chilion is the name of a young companion the speaker addresses directly. It originates from the Book of Ruth, where Chilion is one of Naomi's sons. However, Longfellow uses it here as a name for a younger listener—someone who might be impatient and not well-versed in the city's history. He essentially serves as a stand-in for the reader.

What is the City of Palms?

The City of Palms is an ancient name for Jericho, one of the oldest cities still inhabited today, found in the Jordan Valley. This name shows up in the Book of Deuteronomy. Jericho was well-known for its date palms and its vibrant oasis, standing out in a largely dry landscape.

What happened to the walls of Jericho?

According to the Book of Joshua, once the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, God instructed Joshua to lead his army in marching around the walls of Jericho for seven days. On the seventh day, seven priests blew seven trumpets, the army shouted, and the walls came tumbling down. The city was then destroyed. This event is one of the most renowned military miracles in the Hebrew Bible.

Who was Rahab and why does the poem mention her?

Rahab was a woman in Jericho who concealed two Israelite spies sent by Joshua to explore the city. She helped them escape through her window by lowering them with a scarlet cord, and because of her actions, Joshua protected her and her family when Jericho was conquered. The Bible honors her as a symbol of faith and bravery, and she is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew's Gospel.

Why is the speaker blind, and does that matter to the poem's meaning?

The speaker is Bartimeus — the blind beggar from the Gospels — highlighting that his blindness is crucial to the poem's message. Although he can’t see the walls that Chilion sees, he understands them better than anyone else. The poem subtly suggests that inner knowledge, memory, and faith provide a form of sight that physical eyes can’t offer. This irony is intentional and maintained throughout.

What kind of poem is this — does it have a set form?

The poem is written in blank verse — unrhymed iambic pentameter — Longfellow's favorite form for longer, serious narrative poems. This style has a natural, conversational rhythm that fits a monologue well. It feels more like someone genuinely speaking rather than reciting lines, which is precisely the effect Longfellow aimed for with an old man sharing stories in the shade.

Is this poem part of a longer work?

Yes. 'Bartimeus' is part of a larger sequence titled Christus: A Mystery, which is Longfellow's ambitious three-part dramatic poem exploring the history of Christianity. He spent decades working on the full piece, which spans the life of Christ, the medieval church, and the Puritan era in New England. 'Bartimeus' is included in the first part, which takes place during the time of Jesus.

Citation

Cite this poem

MLA

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. "Bartimeus." Storgy, https://storgy.com/poems/bartimeus-henry-wadsworth-longfellow/.

APA

Longfellow, H. W. (n.d.). Bartimeus. Storgy. https://storgy.com/poems/bartimeus-henry-wadsworth-longfellow/

TeacherAP Lit Q1 scaffold — preview

Row A — Thesis

1 pt

In 'BARTIMEUS.,' Longfellow employs the quiet monologue of an elder speaker to argue that the present moment is haunted rather than inhabited — that the living world of bees, bells, and caravan dust is perpetually undermined by the weight …

  • Row B — Evidence + Commentary4 pts
  • Row C — Sophistication1 pt
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