Jews
Woe! woe!
Our beauty and our glory are laid waste!
The Gentiles have profaned our holy places!
(Lamentation and alarm of trumpets.)
The Annotated Edition
Jews by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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This brief, powerful poem expresses the deep grief felt by the Jewish people following the desecration of their sacred spaces by outsiders.
- Core theme
- Exile
Study actions
§01Quick summary
What this poem is about
This brief, powerful poem expresses the deep grief felt by the Jewish people following the desecration of their sacred spaces by outsiders. In just three lines, Longfellow conveys centuries of suffering and displacement through heartfelt lamentation and the piercing sound of warning trumpets. It feels like a piece ripped from a much older tradition of mourning — urgent, collective, and profoundly sorrowful.
§02Themes
Recurring themes
§03Line by line
Stanza by stanza, with notes
Woe! woe! / Our beauty and our glory are laid waste!
Editor's note
The repeated cry of "Woe!" echoes biblical lamentation — consider the Book of Lamentations or the Hebrew prophets. This is not a quiet sorrow; it’s a loud, communal outcry. "Beauty and glory" refers to the Temple in Jerusalem and all it stood for: spiritual life, cultural identity, and the covenant between God and the Jewish people. "Laid waste" indicates that the destruction is complete, not just partial.
The Gentiles have profaned our holy places!
Editor's note
"Gentiles" refers to non-Jewish peoples, particularly those who invaded and violated Jewish sacred sites. "Profaned" carries significant weight; it means treating something sacred as if it were common or insignificant. This line explicitly states the cause of the grief without any gentle phrasing. The subsequent stage direction — the sound of lamentation and alarm from trumpets — indicates that this isn't merely a personal sorrow but a communal, ritualistic reaction to disaster.
§04Tone & mood
How this poem feels
The tone feels raw and liturgical — it resembles a passage from scripture more than a Victorian poem. The speaker is right there with the pain; the grief is immediate and shared. The exclamation marks and stage direction amplify the emotion, turning this into a public act of mourning rather than a private reflection.
§05Symbols & metaphors
Symbols & metaphors
- Beauty and glory
- A direct reference to the Temple of Jerusalem — the physical and spiritual center of Jewish life. Its destruction symbolizes the loss of what defined the community and its connection with God.
- Holy places
- Sacred sites have been invaded and stripped of their sanctity. This desecration signifies not only physical destruction but also a spiritual wound — a feeling that the line between the sacred and the profane has been forcefully erased.
- Trumpets
- In Jewish tradition, the shofar, a trumpet made from a ram's horn, is blown during important communal moments—serving as a warning, a call for mourning, and a way to grab people's attention. The sound of the shofar transforms individual cries of sorrow into a shared, ritualistic reaction to tragedy.
§06Form & structure
Form & structure
- Meter
- free verse
§07Historical context
Historical context
Longfellow published this poem in his dramatic work *Christus: A Mystery* (1872), which is a three-part poetic trilogy that explores the history of Christianity. "Jews" is included in the section that focuses on the early Christian era and the destruction of Jerusalem. Longfellow had a deep interest in religious history and the importance of understanding different cultures, and throughout his career, he often drew inspiration from voices and traditions beyond his New England Protestant roots. The poem is significantly influenced by the Hebrew Bible, especially the Book of Lamentations, which responds to the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE, as well as the Roman destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. In a noteworthy choice for a 19th-century American poet, Longfellow allows the Jewish community to express its grief directly, rather than interpreting it through a Christian perspective.
§08FAQ
Questions readers ask
What event is this poem referring to?
The poem likely alludes to the Roman destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, but its language is also broad enough to resonate with earlier events, like the Babylonian sack of the First Temple in 586 BCE. Longfellow weaves together both moments to craft a lasting image of Jewish sorrow and displacement.
Why does Longfellow write from a Jewish perspective?
This poem is part of his larger work Christus: A Mystery, which explores the journey of Christian history. To tell that story authentically, Longfellow believed it was important to incorporate the Jewish experience — the destruction of Jerusalem marks a key moment in both Jewish and early Christian history. He also had a real interest in various cultures and traditions throughout his career.
What does 'profaned' mean in this context?
To profane something means to treat what is sacred as if it lacks special value — to violate, defile, or use it like anything else. In this poem, it refers to outsiders who invaded and destroyed places designated for God, robbing them of their holiness through violence and desecration.
What is the significance of the trumpets in the stage direction?
In Jewish tradition, the sound of the shofar, or horn, signifies important communal events: the New Year, the Day of Atonement, and historically, alerts about danger or calls to gather. In this context, the trumpet's sound transforms personal sorrow into a collective, ritual act of mourning, elevating it beyond a private expression of grief.
Is this poem part of a longer work?
Yes. It comes from Christus: A Mystery (1872), a dramatic trilogy that Longfellow dedicated decades to. The three parts explore the early Christian era, the Middle Ages, and the Puritan period in New England. This poem is found in the first section and reflects the Jewish community's reaction to the destruction of their sacred spaces.
What literary tradition does this poem draw on?
It directly references the tradition of biblical lamentation, especially the Book of Lamentations in the Hebrew Bible, which expresses sorrow over Jerusalem's destruction through a collection of heartfelt poems. The recurring "Woe!" and the use of a communal voice are key features of that tradition, and Longfellow intentionally channels them.
Why is the poem so short?
The brevity is part of the point. Longfellow strips the poem down to its emotional core—a cry of grief, a statement of loss, a naming of the cause. There’s nothing decorative here. Its shortness gives it the feel of a fragment from something much older and larger, echoing the experience of a people whose history extends far beyond any single poem.
Citation
Cite this poem
MLA
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. "Jews." Storgy, https://storgy.com/poems/jews-henry-wadsworth-longfellow/.
APA
Longfellow, H. W. (n.d.). Jews. Storgy. https://storgy.com/poems/jews-henry-wadsworth-longfellow/
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