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Beware! by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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A speaker cautions an unnamed listener about a stunning yet deceitful woman, detailing her physical allure piece by piece to illustrate how each feature is a snare.

Poet
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Core theme
Beauty
The PoemFull text

Beware!

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

(HUT DU DICH!) I know a maiden fair to see, Take care! She can both false and friendly be, Beware! Beware! Trust her not, She is fooling thee! She has two eyes, so soft and brown, Take care! She gives a side-glance and looks down, Beware! Beware! Trust her not, She is fooling thee! And she has hair of a golden hue, Take care! And what she says, it is not true, Beware! Beware! Trust her not, She is fooling thee! She has a bosom as white as snow, Take care! She knows how much it is best to show, Beware! Beware! Trust her not, She is fooling thee! She gives thee a garland woven fair, Take care! It is a fool's-cap for thee to wear, Beware! Beware! Trust her not, She is fooling thee!

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Sourced from Project Gutenberg

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§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

A speaker cautions an unnamed listener about a stunning yet deceitful woman, detailing her physical allure piece by piece to illustrate how each feature is a snare. Each stanza reinforces the same message: she appears beautiful, but she is not truthful. This poem translates a German song, and its catchy, repetitive refrain makes it feel like a warning chant that sticks in your mind.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. I know a maiden fair to see, / Take care!

    Editor's note

    The speaker begins by presenting himself as someone with inside information — he *knows* this woman. The abrupt "Take care!" stops any potential romantic fantasies in their tracks. The rhyming of "see" and "be" is intentionally straightforward and catchy, echoing a folk warning shared among friends.

  2. She has two eyes, so soft and brown, / Take care!

    Editor's note

    Now the speaker gets specific. Soft brown eyes are a classic sign of warmth and trustworthiness—and that's exactly the point. The "side-glance" she gives is a deliberate move, a flirtatious look meant to grab attention. The warning hits harder because the detail is so precise.

  3. And she has hair of a golden hue, / Take care!

    Editor's note

    Golden hair has long been linked to ideas of purity and desirability in fairy tales. The speaker quickly challenges this notion: "what she says, it is not true." This stark contrast between the romanticized image and the direct claim of dishonesty fuels the entire poem.

  4. She has a bosom as white as snow, / Take care!

    Editor's note

    The speaker starts by describing her looks using the familiar "white as snow" simile, but then puts her own spin on it: she *knows* how much to show. This stanza moves from a passive portrayal of beauty to an active strategy. She's not merely attractive — she's strategically deciding how to leverage that attraction.

  5. She gives thee a garland woven fair, / Take care!

    Editor's note

    A garland symbolizes honor or affection, but in this context, it turns out to be a fool's cap in disguise. This serves as the poem's most striking image: the listener isn't merely being deceived; he's being made a fool, and the "gift" becomes the means of his humiliation. The poem concludes on this note, leaving the refrain as a final, frustrated judgment.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone is both urgent and sardonic. The speaker isn't heartbroken; instead, he sounds like someone who's already gone through this and is now observing another person heading toward the same mistake. The constant refrain of "Beware! Beware!" and "She is fooling thee!" adds a mocking tone, as if he’s warning but also slightly amused by the listener's naivety. The folk-song rhythm gives it a light feel, but the underlying message is quite cynical about trusting in romance.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The garland
A garland is usually a symbol of honor, celebration, or romantic affection. However, here it is shown to be a fool's cap — representing stupidity and public mockery. What appears to be a gift of love is actually a trap that labels the recipient as a fool.
Her physical features (eyes, hair, bosom)
Each physical detail—soft brown eyes, golden hair, and a snow-white complexion—reflects a traditional ideal of feminine beauty. The poem employs these traits as a checklist, illustrating that beauty acts as a weapon. Each appealing quality also serves as a trap.
The side-glance
The sideways look is a subtle yet powerful gesture. It hints at coyness and intentional seduction—she's not meeting his gaze directly, which makes the glance feel both intimate and evasive. This expression conveys that her charm is more of a performance than a true emotion.

§06Form & structure

Form & structure

Meter
iambic tetrameter
Rhyme
ABA BCC ABA BCC ABA BCC ABA BCC ABA BCC

§07Historical context

Historical context

Longfellow published this poem as a translation of a German song, which carries the original title "Hut du dich!" (literally "Watch yourself!") as a subtitle. He had a strong connection to German language and literature—having studied in Germany and later taught modern languages at Harvard. In 19th-century America, German folk and lyric poetry were incredibly popular, and Longfellow often translated or adapted European works for American readers. This poem is part of a long-standing tradition of cautionary love songs that warn men about deceptive women, a theme rooted in medieval European poetry. Although the gender dynamics may seem outdated now, the poem resonated in its time due to its folk-song simplicity and memorable, punchy refrain.

§08FAQ

Questions readers ask

What is the poem "Beware!" by Longfellow about?

This piece serves as a heads-up from a speaker to an unnamed listener regarding a stunning woman who relies on her beauty and charm to mislead men. Each stanza highlights one of her physical traits and concludes with the reminder that she is "fooling thee" — wielding that beauty as a deception.

Is "Beware!" an original poem by Longfellow or a translation?

It’s a translation. The subtitle "Hut du dich!" is the original German, meaning "Watch yourself!" Longfellow, a professor of modern languages, translated a significant amount of European poetry during his career.

What does the garland represent in the final stanza?

The garland appears to be a symbol of affection or honor, yet the speaker claims it is actually a fool's cap — a hat that signifies foolishness. The underlying message is that accepting her attention doesn't elevate your status; it reveals your foolishness.

Why does the poem repeat "Beware! Beware!" and "She is fooling thee!" in every stanza?

The repetition resembles a folk song or chant, creating a sense of urgency and inevitability in the warning. There's also a hint of mockery — as if the speaker keeps repeating themselves because the listener just isn't getting it.

What is the mood or tone of the poem?

It’s both sardonic and urgent. The speaker doesn’t sound heartbroken; rather, he sounds like someone who already knows how this story will unfold and is watching someone else get caught in it anyway. The repeated warnings carry a dry, almost impatient tone.

What does "a fool's-cap for thee to wear" mean?

A fool's cap, also known as a dunce cap, is a pointed hat that has historically been linked to foolishness and ridicule. The speaker is indicating that the garland she presents isn't a crown of love; instead, it's a hat that designates you as her fool.

Is the poem sexist by modern standards?

By today's standards, yes — it depicts a woman solely as a calculating deceiver, advising men to distrust her simply because of her looks. This aligns with an old literary tradition of the femme fatale or dangerous beauty, prevalent in 19th-century European and American poetry, but it deserves questioning today.

What poetic devices does Longfellow use in "Beware!"?

The key devices include repetition (the refrain in each stanza), simile ("bosom as white as snow"), imagery (the side-glance, the golden hair, the garland), and irony (the garland that turns out to be a fool's cap). The short, punchy lines create a strong rhythm reminiscent of a folk song.

Citation

Cite this poem

MLA

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. "Beware!" Storgy, https://storgy.com/poems/beware-henry-wadsworth-longfellow/.

APA

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

TeacherAP Lit Q1 scaffold — preview

Row A — Thesis

1 pt

In 'BEWARE!' Longfellow uses the rigid, hammering repetition of a refrain and the speaker's cataloguing of the maiden's physical charms to expose a central irony: the very beauty the speaker lingers over in obsessive detail undermines the …

  • Row B — Evidence + Commentary4 pts
  • Row C — Sophistication1 pt
  • Common student errors
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