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The Annotated Edition

GUIDE. by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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

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A tour guide highlights the well-known "Devil's Bridge," detailing its lone stone arch that stretches over a daunting gorge with a raging waterfall below.

Poet
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Themes
death, fear, identity
The PoemFull text

GUIDE.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

This bridge is called the Devil's Bridge. With a single arch, from ridge to ridge, It leaps across the terrible chasm Yawning beneath us, black and deep, As if, in some convulsive spasm, The summits of the hills had cracked, And made a road for the cataract That raves and rages down the steep! LUCIFER, under the bridge. Ha! ha!

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

A tour guide highlights the well-known "Devil's Bridge," detailing its lone stone arch that stretches over a daunting gorge with a raging waterfall below. Just as the guide wraps up this intense description, a voice — Lucifer himself, hidden beneath the bridge — chuckles from the shadows. It’s a brief, impactful moment that taps into the old legend of the Devil constructing such bridges in return for souls.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. This bridge is called the Devil's Bridge. / With a single arch, from ridge to ridge,

    Editor's note

    The guide begins with a straightforward mention of the bridge's name and quickly shifts to creating a vivid picture. An arch reaches from one ridge to the other, emphasizing the scale: this isn't just a small crossing; it's a bold leap over something immense.

  2. It leaps across the terrible chasm / Yawning beneath us, black and deep,

    Editor's note

    The verb "leaps" injects the stone bridge with a vibrant, almost reckless energy. The chasm "yawning" beneath the travelers personifies the earth as a sleeping giant, its mouth wide open, seemingly ready to swallow them whole.

  3. As if, in some convulsive spasm, / The summits of the hills had cracked,

    Editor's note

    The guide offers a geological origin story: the gorge appears as if the hilltops were violently pulled apart in a fit of energy. The term "convulsive" keeps the landscape vibrant and threatening, rather than merely a backdrop.

  4. And made a road for the cataract / That raves and rages down the steep!

    Editor's note

    The crack in the hills turned into a channel for the waterfall — a "cataract" — that "raves and rages," using two verbs that suggest an almost demonic fury in the water. The exclamation mark punctuates the guide's speech at its most dramatic moment.

  5. LUCIFER, under the bridge. / Ha! ha!

    Editor's note

    The punchline. Longfellow shifts away from the dramatic monologue and provides a stage direction: Lucifer is actually beneath the bridge, and his laughter validates the legend. This moment subverts the guide's sincere tourism speech with a touch of dark humor — the Devil has been eavesdropping all along.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone changes in two distinct stages. The guide's speech is lively and full of energy — packed with dramatic adjectives and exclamations — the voice of someone who has delivered this speech countless times and still relishes the thrill it brings. Then, Lucifer's two-word response turns everything into dark, sardonic humor. The overall effect is playful yet slightly unsettling, like a campfire story that wraps up with a sudden knock at the door.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The Devil's Bridge
Rooted in European folklore, Devil's Bridges are stone arches so remarkable that locals often believed only the Devil could have constructed them — typically in exchange for the first soul to cross. In this context, the bridge represents the divide between the safe, ordinary world and something perilous and supernatural.
The chasm / gorge
The yawning black void beneath the bridge symbolizes the unknown, the abyss, and the constant threat of destruction. It's the literal space where the Devil resides—right under the bridge—and it reflects the divide between the human world above and the hellish one below.
The cataract
The roaring waterfall exemplifies raw natural power. It reflects the chaotic energy associated with Lucifer — wild, unstoppable, and unconcerned with human safety. This fury not only makes the bridge essential but also turns crossing it into a bold challenge.
Lucifer's laugh
"Ha! ha!" serves as the briefest affirmation that the legend is indeed real. It disrupts the guide's performance and reminds the reader that the supernatural isn't merely a tale for tourists — it's here, attentive, and entertained.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Longfellow published *Christus: A Mystery* in 1872, a lengthy dramatic poem divided into three parts that explores the journey of Christian history. "Guide" is a brief dramatic piece within this larger work, set against the stunning backdrop of Switzerland's Alpine landscape, where the famous Teufelsbrücke (Devil's Bridge) spans the Schöllenen Gorge above the Reuss River. This bridge has been a notable landmark on the St. Gotthard Pass since the 13th century, and by Longfellow's time, the legend surrounding its devilish construction was well-known in European folklore. The poem fits into a Romantic tradition that finds both the sublime and the sinister in extreme natural scenery. Longfellow's choice of a dramatic monologue format, complete with stage direction for Lucifer, mirrors the overall theatrical structure of *Christus*, which was intended to be read rather than performed but draws heavily on dramatic conventions.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

It refers to the Teufelsbrücke, a stone arch bridge in the Schöllenen Gorge of Switzerland that spans the Reuss River along the St. Gotthard Pass route. According to local legend, the Devil constructed the bridge in return for the soul of the first being to cross it. Longfellow visited Switzerland, and this bridge is featured in his dramatic poem *Christus: A Mystery* (1872).

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