Skip to content
Storgy

The Annotated Edition

BLIND BARTIMEUS by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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

Read aloud in ~1 minOpen reading mode →

This poem recounts the Biblical tale of Blind Bartimaeus, a beggar waiting outside Jericho who calls out to Jesus and is healed.

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

BLIND BARTIMEUS

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Blind Bartimeus at the gates Of Jericho in darkness waits; He hears the crowd;—he hears a breath Say, “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 stands The crowd, “What wilt thou at my hands?” And he replies, “O give me light! Rabbi, restore the blind man’s sight.” And Jesus answers, Ὕπαγε Ἡ 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!

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

This poem recounts the Biblical tale of Blind Bartimaeus, a beggar waiting outside Jericho who calls out to Jesus and is healed. Longfellow preserves the essential moments of the story — Bartimaeus's desperate cry, the crowd's attempts to hush him, and Jesus giving him back his sight — while incorporating the original Greek phrases from the Gospel of Mark. In the final stanza, the story transforms into a lesson for everyone: when you feel lost or spiritually blind, hold on to those three powerful voices.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. Blind Bartimeus at the gates / Of Jericho in darkness waits;

    Editor's note

    Longfellow starts by immersing us in the scene: a blind beggar at the gates of Jericho. The term "darkness" serves a dual purpose—it captures Bartimaeus's physical blindness while alluding to a deeper spiritual void. The word "waits" creates a subtle tension; he’s passive and dependent, with nothing to offer except his desperate need. The final Greek line — *Ἰησοῦ, ἐλέησόν με!* — translates to "Jesus, have mercy on me!" and is taken directly from Mark 10:47. By incorporating the original Greek, Longfellow gives this plea a sacred, almost liturgical resonance.

  2. The thronging multitudes increase; / Blind Bartimeus, hold thy peace!

    Editor's note

    The crowd swells and attempts to silence Bartimaeus — they view him as a nuisance or a barrier. Yet, he raises his voice even more. This stanza highlights the theme of standing firm against societal pressure: those around him insist he is insignificant, but he won’t accept that. The Greek line — *Θάρσει ἔγειραι, φωνεῖ δε!* — translates to "Take heart, rise up, he is calling you!" This marks a shift in the crowd's message from "be quiet" to "go to him," a transformation that Longfellow conveys with a jolt of energy.

  3. Then saith the Christ, as silent stands / The crowd, "What wilt thou at my hands?"

    Editor's note

    The crowd falls silent — a sharp contrast to the noise that filled the previous stanza. Jesus poses a straightforward question: what do you want? Bartimaeus's response is just as simple: light, sight. There’s no intricate prayer, only a sincere expression of need. The Greek closing — *Ὕπαγε / Ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέ δε!* — translates to "Go, your faith has saved you," the very words of healing from the Gospel. Longfellow allows the scripture to resonate on its own at this pivotal moment.

  4. Ye that have eyes, yet cannot see, / In darkness and in misery,

    Editor's note

    The final stanza shifts perspective, speaking directly to the reader. "Ye that have eyes, yet cannot see" turns the metaphor on its head: just because someone can see physically doesn't mean they possess spiritual or moral insight. Longfellow suggests that anyone feeling lost, hopeless, or spiritually numb shares Bartimaeus's plight. He then reiterates the three Greek phrases from the earlier stanzas, distilled into a prayer or mantra — cry out, take heart, go in faith — offering them as a universal guide for anyone facing darkness.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone is both respectful and subtly urgent. Longfellow unfolds the story in a steady, almost hymn-like rhythm that feels ceremonial yet warm. There's heartfelt emotion in the beggar's cry and true tenderness in the healing, but the poem avoids becoming sentimental. The final stanza shifts from narrative to direct address, lending the ending a preacher's conviction — earnest without being preachy.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

Darkness / Blindness
Bartimaeus's physical blindness symbolizes a deeper spiritual lostness, despair, or a failure to recognize truth. Longfellow makes this clear in the final stanza when he speaks to those who "have eyes, yet cannot see" — highlighting that inner blindness is the true focus of the poem.
The Gates of Jericho
The city gate serves as a boundary — a spot between the inside and outside, inclusion and exclusion. Bartimaeus occupies this space, not completely part of the city but not entirely separate from it either. It reflects his marginal social status and his place on the brink of a transformative encounter.
The Greek Phrases
By quoting the original Greek text of the Gospel of Mark instead of translating it, Longfellow treats these words as sacred objects, emphasizing their sound and historical significance alongside their meaning. They act like liturgical refrains, repeated in the final stanza as a prayer that invites any reader to join in.
The Crowd
The crowd symbolizes the social pressure that urges the desperate and marginalized to remain silent. Their efforts to silence Bartimaeus only make his determination more heroic, and their abrupt change of heart — "He calleth thee!" — illustrates how quickly public opinion can change.
Light / Sight
Bartimaeus asks for light and the ability to see again. In the poem's reasoning, gaining physical sight goes hand in hand with receiving faith and salvation. Light serves as the poem's main reward, symbolizing clarity, hope, and spiritual completeness.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Longfellow published "Blind Bartimeus" in 1842 as part of his collection *Ballads and Other Poems*. The poem is based on the story found in Mark 10:46–52, where a blind beggar named Bartimaeus is sitting outside Jericho and gets healed by Jesus. At that time, American Protestant culture was deeply immersed in the Bible, viewing it as both a spiritual guide and a literary reference, and Longfellow's work reflects this engagement—it's essentially a poetic retelling of scripture aimed at a broader audience. What sets it apart is Longfellow's choice to include the Greek text of the New Testament at the end of each stanza. As a professor of modern languages at Harvard, he understood the impact of original language. The Greek phrases serve more than just an ornamental purpose; they bring the weight of the source text, giving the poem a bilingual, almost choral quality that would be lost in a simple English paraphrase.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

It recounts the Gospel story of Bartimaeus, a blind beggar sitting outside Jericho. When he hears that Jesus is passing by, he calls out for mercy and is healed. Longfellow uses this story to illustrate a larger message: anyone who feels spiritually lost or in despair shares Bartimaeus's experience, and the same path — persistent faith — is available to them.

Read next

Poems in the same key

Similar poems

The Hound of Heaven — Francis ThompsonGod's Grandeur — Gerard Manley HopkinsThe Pulley — George HerbertThe Windhover — Gerard Manley Hopkins

More by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Browse all Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poems →

Themes in this poem

Poems about faithPoems about hopePoems about identityPoems about sorrow