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The Annotated Edition

See Exodus XXIV, 29-35. by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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

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This brief poem by Longfellow functions as an epigraph — a passage taken from an actual petition that Acadian exiles sent to the British king following their forced removal from Nova Scotia in 1755.

Poet
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Themes
exile, family, justice
The PoemFull text

See Exodus XXIV, 29-35.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

V. 572-3. Parents were separated from children and husbands from wives, some of whom have not to this day met again; and we were so crowded in the transport vessels that we had not even room to lay down, and consequently were prevented from carrying with us proper necessaries, especially for the support and comfort of the aged and weak, many of whom quickly ended their lives. PETITION OF THE ACADIANS TO THE KING.

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

This brief poem by Longfellow functions as an epigraph — a passage taken from an actual petition that Acadian exiles sent to the British king following their forced removal from Nova Scotia in 1755. Longfellow connects it to the biblical tale of Moses, whose face radiated divine light after conversing with God, implying that the Acadians' suffering bears the same moral significance as scripture. The impact is subtle yet profound: the words of everyday people are elevated to sacred testimony.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. Parents were separated from children and husbands from wives, some of whom have not to this day met again;

    Editor's note

    The petition begins by highlighting the most personal losses — families ripped apart. The phrase "have not to this day met again" hits hard, capturing the voice of survivors still in the dark about their loved ones' fates. There's no embellishment here, just a stark reality that stings more than any metaphor could convey.

  2. and we were so crowded in the transport vessels that we had not even room to lay down,

    Editor's note

    The focus on the physical conditions aboard the deportation ships brings the suffering into the body. Being unable to lie down takes away a fundamental aspect of human dignity from the Acadians. This detail is vivid enough to seem like firsthand testimony, and indeed, it is.

  3. and consequently were prevented from carrying with us proper necessaries, especially for the support and comfort of the aged and weak,

    Editor's note

    The bureaucratic language of "proper necessaries" makes the cruelty seem more like a part of the system than an accident. The Acadians aren't just talking about hardship in general; they're showing how a system let down the most vulnerable people in their community.

  4. many of whom quickly ended their lives. PETITION OF THE ACADIANS TO THE KING.

    Editor's note

    The final clause hits hard with its straightforward message: the elderly and weak died. The title — "PETITION OF THE ACADIANS TO THE KING" — serves as a stark reminder that this is an actual document directed at the very authority responsible for the pain. Longfellow allows the history to resonate on its own, which aligns perfectly with the biblical title: this testimony, much like Moses's face, radiates a light that can't be obscured.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone is restrained and documentary — almost intentionally flat. There's no poetic embellishment because the source material is a legal petition, not a song. Beneath that flatness lies deep grief and a measured, dignified anger. Longfellow's decision to frame this as a poem, titled with a biblical reference, turns bureaucratic testimony into an elegy.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The transport vessels
The ships aren't merely a historical detail; they represent the entire system of forced displacement. Being denied the space to lie down on them illustrates just how thoroughly the Acadians were stripped of their agency and dignity.
The aged and weak
This group serves as a moral gauge for the cruelty of deportation. In many ethical and religious traditions, the way a society treats its most vulnerable members reflects its true character. Their deaths stand as a condemnation of the policy that led to them.
The Petition itself
The act of petitioning the king—appealing to the authority behind their exile—represents the Acadians' powerlessness and their determination to be heard. It stands as a gesture of dignity against the backdrop of erasure.
The biblical title (Exodus XXIV, 29-35)
The passage notes that Moses came down from Sinai with a face shining from his encounter with God, leading him to wear a veil. By linking this reference to the Acadian petition, Longfellow implies that this document holds a similarly sacred truth — a light that must be recognized.

§06Historical context

Historical context

In 1755, British colonial authorities forcibly removed around 10,000 Acadian settlers from present-day Nova Scotia, Canada, scattering them across the Atlantic world in a tragic event called the Grand Dérangement. Families were torn apart, properties were confiscated, and many people died during the deportations. Longfellow's narrative poem *Evangeline*, published in 1847, revived this largely overlooked tragedy for a broad English-speaking audience. This passage, labeled section V, is one of several prose epigraphs from historical documents that Longfellow incorporated into the poem. The biblical reference in the title points to Exodus 34:29-35, where Moses's face shines after meeting God, suggesting that the Acadians' own testimony possesses a kind of sacred, undeniable brilliance. By allowing the petition to express itself, Longfellow contends that history is the strongest indictment of all.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

Longfellow includes a prose epigraph within the poetic framework of *Evangeline*. This excerpt is a direct quote from an actual petition that Acadian exiles submitted to the British Crown following their deportation in 1755. By adding a title, a biblical reference, and numbering the section, Longfellow encourages readers to view this historical testimony as poetry.

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