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The Annotated Edition

Frithiof’s Farewell by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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

Longfellow's "Frithiof's Farewell" translates a poignant moment from the Swedish epic *Frithiofs saga*, where the hero Frithiof bids farewell to his cherished homeland and the woman he loves before heading into exile.

Poet
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The PoemFull text

Frithiof’s Farewell

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The Children of the Lord’s Supper King Christian The Elected Knight Childhood From the German. The Happiest Land The Wave The Dead The Bird and the Ship Whither? Beware! Song of the Bell The Castle by the Sea The Black Knight Song of the Silent Land The Luck of Edenhall The Two Locks of Hair The Hemlock Tree Annie of Tharaw The Statue over the Cathedral Door The Legend of the Crossbill The Sea hath its Pearls Poetic Aphorisms Silent Love Blessed are the Dead Wanderer’s Night-Songs Remorse Forsaken Allah From the Anglo-Saxon. The Grave Beowulf’s Expedition to Heort The Soul’s Complaint against the Body From the French Song: Hark! Hark! Song: “And whither goest thou, gentle sigh” The Return of Spring Spring The Child Asleep Death of Archbishop Turpin The Blind Girl of Castel-Cuille A Christmas Carol Consolation To Cardinal Richelieu The Angel and the Child On the Terrace of the Aigalades To my Brooklet Barréges Will ever the dear days come back again? At La Chaudeau A Quiet Life The Wine of Jurançon Friar Lubin Rondel My Secret From the Italian. The Celestial Pilot The Terrestrial Paradise Beatrice To Italy Seven Sonnets and a Canzone

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

Longfellow's "Frithiof's Farewell" translates a poignant moment from the Swedish epic *Frithiofs saga*, where the hero Frithiof bids farewell to his cherished homeland and the woman he loves before heading into exile. The poem vividly conveys the deep sorrow of leaving behind everything he knows, with an uncertain return looming. It's a brief yet emotionally powerful piece that reflects Frithiof's grief through the Norse landscape.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. Farewell, ye hills so blue and bright,

    Editor's note

    Frithiof speaks to the landscape, directly naming the hills and the light he is departing from. The color blue evokes both beauty and sadness, establishing the emotional tone of the entire poem right from the first line.

  2. Farewell, thou sea so dark and wide,

    Editor's note

    The sea represents his path of exile and the mystery ahead. While the hills were bright, the sea appears dark — this contrast shows he is leaving the familiar behind for something that feels threatening and uncertain.

  3. Farewell, Ingeborg, thou sun of my delight,

    Editor's note

    Frithiof finally identifies the person who embodies his sorrow. By calling Ingeborg his 'sun,' he places her above everything else — she isn't merely his love; she's the source of all warmth and light in his life, and now he's sailing away from her.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone is mournful and tender, carrying a formal, almost ceremonial quality that fits the Norse saga setting. Longfellow maintains an elevated language that remains warm — the grief resonates on a personal level, even within the epic frame. There's no anger or bitterness, just a pure, aching sorrow.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The hills
The hills symbolize home, stability, and all that Frithiof is being compelled to abandon. Their brightness stands out against the darkness ahead, intensifying the sense of loss.
The sea
The sea is the road of exile — vast, dark, and indifferent. It remains unaffected by Frithiof's sorrow, which adds to its strength as a symbol of fate and the unknown.
Ingeborg as the sun
Referring to his beloved as the 'sun of his delight' places her at the heart of his universe. Being away from her isn't merely a matter of feeling lonely — it feels like being plunged into a never-ending darkness.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Longfellow included this poem in his 1845 collection *The Poets and Poetry of Europe*, a significant translation effort where he introduced American readers to Scandinavian, German, French, Italian, and Anglo-Saxon poetry. "Frithiof's Farewell" is based on *Frithiofs saga*, a well-known Swedish romantic epic by Esaias Tegnér (1782–1846), which tells the Old Norse tale of the hero Frithiof and his love for Ingeborg, the daughter of a king. Tegnér's saga was hugely popular throughout Europe in the early 19th century. Longfellow had a lifelong fascination with Norse and Germanic literature — his later work, *The Song of Hiawatha*, similarly adapts heroic legends into accessible English verse. This translation captures the Romantic era's strong interest in medieval and folk traditions as a means of linking contemporary readers to a heroic, pre-industrial past.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

Frithiof is the hero of an Old Norse legend, as told in the Swedish epic *Frithiofs saga* by Esaias Tegnér. He is exiled because the kings who control Ingeborg — the woman he loves — won’t allow him to marry her. The farewell in this poem captures the moment he sails away, fully aware that he may never come back.

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Themes in this poem

Poems about exilePoems about homePoems about lovePoems about sorrow