Where does the story in the poem come from?

It is taken straight from Luke 5:1–11 in the New Testament. Longfellow stays true to the Gospel narrative but weaves in his own details, particularly the vivid comparison of the nets to spiders' webs.

Why does Peter say "depart from me, I am a sinful man"?

It's a deeply rooted human instinct: when faced with something truly holy or awe-inspiring, our initial reaction is often to feel unworthy and want to retreat. Peter isn't turning his back on Jesus — he's simply expressing that he doesn't feel like the right person to be this close to such a powerful presence.

What does "henceforth thou shalt catch men" mean?

Jesus is telling Peter that his life as a fisherman is about to take a new direction. Instead of catching fish, he will now "catch" people, gathering followers and sharing Jesus' message. This calling is framed in the context of Peter's trade, which makes it resonate deeply with him.

Why does the poem end with a question?

Because Peter doesn't have the answer yet. Longfellow is capturing the moment *before* Peter transforms into the confident apostle we know from later tradition. At this point, he's just a fisherman in a boat full of fish, genuinely uncertain about what his future holds. This open question encourages the reader to embrace that uncertainty.

What is a dramatic monologue and why does Longfellow use that form here?

A dramatic monologue is a poem that captures the voice of a particular character at a particular moment — similar to a speech in a play, but without the surrounding context of the entire play. Longfellow employs this technique here to delve into Peter's thoughts, making a well-known biblical story feel personal and immediate instead of distant and religious.

Is this poem part of a larger work?

Yes. It's a part of *Christus: A Mystery* (1872), a lengthy dramatic poem that Longfellow worked on for decades. The section is from *The Divine Tragedy*, which brings to life scenes from the Gospels using the voices of witnesses and participants.

What makes the spiders' webs simile effective?

It's Longfellow's own twist on the biblical story, and it works because it portrays the nets—Peter's essential tools for making a living—as suddenly fragile and almost hilariously insufficient. This highlights the miracle's magnitude without falling back on vague superlatives.

The Annotated Edition

PETER. by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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

Read aloud in ~1 minOpen reading mode →

Poet: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Themes: doubt, faith, fear

The PoemFull text

PETER.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Never was such a marvellous draught of fishes Heard of in Galilee! The market-places Both of Bethsaida and Capernaum Are full of them! Yet we had toiled all night And taken nothing, when the Master said: Launch out into the deep, and cast your nets; And doing this, we caught such multitudes, Our nets like spiders' webs were snapped asunder, And with the draught we filled two ships so full That they began to sink. Then I knelt down Amazed, and said: O Lord, depart from me, I am a sinful man. And he made answer: Simon, fear not; henceforth thou shalt catch men! What was the meaning of those words?

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

This brief dramatic monologue immerses us in the thoughts of Simon Peter, the fisherman destined to become one of Jesus's closest disciples, immediately following the miraculous catch of fish recounted in the Gospel of Luke. Peter is astounded by the recent events and continues to ponder the puzzling phrase Jesus spoke — "henceforth thou shalt catch men" — as he attempts to decipher its meaning. The poem concludes with this unresolved question, inviting the reader to share in Peter's sense of wonder and bewilderment.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

Never was such a marvellous draught of fishes / Heard of in Galilee!
Editor's note
Peter starts mid-thought, clearly buzzing with excitement. The term "draught" refers to a catch of fish brought up in a net. Essentially, he's saying that nobody here has witnessed anything like this before. Longfellow immerses us directly in Peter's voice without any preamble, making the poem feel immediate and vibrant.
The market-places / Both of Bethsaida and Capernaum / Are full of them!
Editor's note
Peter connects the miracle to practical, everyday details — the fish are already at the market. These are actual towns along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and naming them ties the supernatural event to a familiar, physical world. As a working fisherman, Peter's first thought is about where the catch ultimately goes.
Yet we had toiled all night / And taken nothing, when the Master said:
Editor's note
The contrast here drives the poem's emotional core. All night, there’s silence. Then, a single word from Jesus transforms everything. "The Master" conveys respect but also a hint of distance — Peter is still coming to terms with who this man truly is.
Launch out into the deep, and cast your nets; / And doing this, we caught such multitudes,
Editor's note
Longfellow closely mirrors Luke 5:4. The command is straightforward, and Peter responds right away. "The deep" has a dual significance—it refers to the deeper waters off the shore, but it also suggests a realm beyond typical human experience that Peter is being invited to explore.
Our nets like spiders' webs were snapped asunder, / And with the draught we filled two ships so full
Editor's note
The simile of spiders' webs is an addition by Longfellow, and it's a fitting choice—it portrays the nets as fragile and somewhat comically insufficient for the weight they must bear. The miracle isn't merely abundant; it's overwhelming, teetering on the edge of violence with its excess.
That they began to sink. Then I knelt down / Amazed, and said: O Lord, depart from me,
Editor's note
Peter feels fear instead of joy. When confronted with something truly inexplicable, his instinct is to distance himself. This reaction is a deeply human response to the sacred — a sense that you're not the right person to be so close to something so powerful.
I am a sinful man. And he made answer: / Simon, fear not; henceforth thou shalt catch men!
Editor's note
Jesus calls Peter by his original name, Simon, which adds a personal touch. The phrase "catch men" takes the language from Peter's lifelong work as a fisherman and transforms it into a new purpose. It’s a calling expressed in the familiar words that Peter already understands.
What was the meaning of those words?
Editor's note
The poem concludes with a question rather than a clear answer. Peter isn’t yet the assured apostle that later stories depict; instead, he’s a bewildered fisherman in a boat overflowing with fish, grappling with the changes in his life. Longfellow allows the question to linger, and that’s fitting—it draws the reader into Peter's confusion instead of tying everything up neatly.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone feels both curious and uneasy. Peter's words convey the energy of someone who has just encountered something inexplicable and can't shake it from his mind. There’s a sense of wonder mixed with a hint of fear, but no clear conclusion — the poem concludes in a state of confusion rather than in faith or victory. Longfellow maintains a straightforward, conversational style, which adds to the authenticity of the miracle rather than diminishing it.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The miraculous draught of fish: The incredible catch of fish is the key indication that something extraordinary is happening. It marks a turning point—before it, Peter is simply a fisherman; afterward, everything changes.
The deep: Jesus tells Peter to "launch out into the deep." On the surface, this refers to going into deeper water, but it also symbolizes stepping into the unknown — the spiritual realm Peter is being urged to explore, which is well beyond what he’s encountered before.
Nets snapped like spiders' webs: The fragility of the nets compared to the size of the catch highlights how ordinary human tools and frameworks fall short when faced with the divine. What Peter believed to be strong enough just isn't.
Kneeling: Peter's instinct to kneel shows his sense of submission and feeling of unworthiness. It indicates that he acknowledges the presence of something greater than himself, even if he can't quite name or grasp it yet.
"Catch men": The poem's central symbol is Jesus's use of fishing language to describe apostleship. It reframes Peter's familiar life as preparation for an entirely different path — his vocation isn’t erased but rather transformed.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Longfellow published a series of short dramatic monologues titled *Christus: A Mystery* in 1872, a project he dedicated decades to and regarded as his most ambitious work. "Peter" is part of the section called *The Divine Tragedy*, which brings to life scenes from the Gospels through the voices of those who experienced them firsthand. At the time, biblical themes were approached with great seriousness in both literature and art, and Longfellow's method of giving ordinary figures like Peter an inner voice aimed to make scripture feel more human and immediate, rather than distant and doctrinal. The text draws from Luke 5:1–11, which tells the story of the miraculous catch of fish and Peter's call to follow Jesus. Longfellow was 65 when *Christus* was published, and this project reflects the theological doubts and personal sorrow he faced after losing his wife in a fire in 1861.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

It's a dramatic monologue — Peter speaks aloud, reflecting on the moment Jesus performed a miraculous catch of fish and told him he would "catch men" instead. The poem explores Peter's struggle to make sense of a life-changing experience that he doesn't fully grasp yet.

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PETER. by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

PETER.

What this poem is about

Recurring themes

Stanza by stanza, with notes

How this poem feels

Symbols & metaphors

Historical context

Questions readers ask

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