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The Annotated Edition

NATHANAEL. by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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

This short poem portrays a scorching summer day in a grain field, where the speaker feels hungry and tempted to grab some wheat to eat.

Poet
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The PoemFull text

NATHANAEL.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The summer sun grows hot: I am anhungered. How cheerily the Sabbath-breaking quail Pipes in the corn, and bids us to his Feast Of Wheat Sheaves! How the bearded, ripening ears Toss in the roofless temple of the air; As if the unseen hand of some High-Priest Waved them before Mount Tabor as an altar! It were no harm, if we should pluck and eat.

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

This short poem portrays a scorching summer day in a grain field, where the speaker feels hungry and tempted to grab some wheat to eat. Longfellow presents the scene as an outdoor religious ceremony, transforming the open sky into a temple and a nearby mountain into an altar. The title "Nathanael" connects the moment to the biblical disciple, subtly questioning whether fulfilling a basic human need can truly be considered a sin.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. The summer sun grows hot: I am anhungered. / How cheerily the Sabbath-breaking quail

    Editor's note

    The speaker starts with two straightforward observations: it's an incredibly hot day, and they feel hungry. The quail is dubbed "Sabbath-breaking" since it sings and eats on the holy day without remorse — it quickly becomes a symbol of innocent, rule-breaking desire. The bird's joyful song invites rather than offends.

  2. Pipes in the corn, and bids us to his Feast / Of Wheat Sheaves! How the bearded, ripening ears

    Editor's note

    The quail's call becomes a dinner invitation to a "Feast of Wheat Sheaves," transforming the field into a grand banquet table. The ripening grain, with its "bearded" ears weighed down by seeds, suggests plenty. It feels as if nature is generously providing food for all.

  3. Toss in the roofless temple of the air; / As if the unseen hand of some High-Priest

    Editor's note

    Here, the poem takes its most striking turn: the open sky transforms into a roofless temple, and the swaying grain turns into a sacred ritual. The wind that rustles the wheat is envisioned as a High Priest making an offering. What once seemed like an ordinary field is now a site of reverence.

  4. Waved them before Mount Tabor as an altar! / It were no harm, if we should pluck and eat.

    Editor's note

    Mount Tabor — the location of the Transfiguration in the Gospels — serves as the altar for this open-air temple. The final line resonates with the Gospel account where Jesus and his disciples pick grain on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1–8). By presenting the act as a sacred ceremony, the speaker suggests that eating from the field is not merely acceptable — it approaches the sacred.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone is warm and respectfully thoughtful. Longfellow playfully allows the quail to guide the discussion, yet the poem doesn’t resort to winks or jokes — it earnestly progresses toward its theological message. By the last line, the mood is serene and confident, reflecting a sense of assurance that arises not from rebellion, but from the belief that nature and scripture convey the same truth.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The quail
The quail embodies a natural, guilt-free hunger. It unknowingly breaks the Sabbath without facing any consequences, serving as a living reminder that hunger is innocent. Additionally, it resonates with an Old Testament story: God sent quail to feed the starving Israelites in the wilderness (Exodus 16).
The roofless temple / open sky
By referring to the sky as a "roofless temple," Longfellow blurs the line between sacred and natural spaces. Worship isn't limited to a building; the entire world serves as a sanctuary, and everyday actions within it can become expressions of faith.
The ripening wheat
The grain symbolizes both physical nourishment and spiritual sustenance. Presented like an offering at an altar, it connects our basic need for food with the priestly act of giving thanks — implying that the act of eating can itself be a way to worship.
Mount Tabor
Tabor is the mountain where many believe the Transfiguration of Christ took place, marking a significant moment of divine revelation. By using it as the altar for this outdoor temple, the scene transforms from just having a snack in a field to experiencing something truly sacred.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Longfellow included this poem in his collection *Christus: A Mystery* (1872), which is a sweeping dramatic trilogy that delves into the history of Christianity. "Nathanael" is part of the first section, "The Divine Tragedy," which retells stories from the Gospels in verse form. The poem is inspired by Matthew 12:1–8, where Jesus defends his disciples for picking grain on the Sabbath, emphasizing that human need is more important than ritual law. Nathanael, one of the apostles (often associated with Bartholomew), is given a moment of quiet, sensory reflection by Longfellow. This poem captures the mid-19th-century American inclination—shared by figures like Emerson and Whitman—to see the sacred in nature rather than limited to church spaces.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

Nathanael is introduced in the Gospel of John as one of the first disciples called by Jesus. He is commonly associated with the apostle Bartholomew. Nathanael is well-known for the moment when Jesus mentions having seen him sitting under a fig tree before their meeting — a revelation that leads Nathanael to believe Jesus is the Son of God. Longfellow uses this name to root the poem in the Gospel's setting of direct, open-air interactions with the divine.

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