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Song by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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This scene is from Longfellow's verse drama *The Spanish Student*, rather than being a separate lyric poem.

Poet
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Core theme
Dreams
The PoemFull text

Song

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Good night! Good night, beloved! I come to watch o'er thee! To be near thee,--to be near thee, Alone is peace for me. Thine eyes are stars of morning, Thy lips are crimson flowers! Good night! Good night beloved, While I count the weary hours. Cruz. They are not coming this way. Bart. Wait, they begin again. SONG (coming nearer). Ah! thou moon that shinest Argent-clear above! All night long enlighten My sweet lady-love! Moon that shinest, All night long enlighten! Bart. Woe be to him, if he comes this way! Cruz. Be quiet, they are passing down the street. SONG (dying away). The nuns in the cloister Sang to each other; For so many sisters Is there not one brother! Ay, for the partridge, mother! The cat has run away with the partridge! Puss! puss! puss! Bart. Follow that! follow that! Come with me. Puss! puss! (Exeunt. On the opposite side enter the COUNT OF LARA and gentlemen, with FRANCISCO.) Lara. The gate is fast. Over the wall, Francisco, And draw the bolt. There, so, and so, and over. Now, gentlemen, come in, and help me scale Yon balcony. How now? Her light still burns. Move warily. Make fast the gate, Francisco. (Exeunt. Re-enter CRUZADO and BARTOLOME.) Bart. They went in at the gate. Hark! I hear them in the garden. (Tries the gate.) Bolted again! Vive Cristo! Follow me over the wall. (They climb the wall.) SCENE XI. -- PRECIOSA'S bedchamber. Midnight. She is sleeping in an armchair, in an undress. DOLORES watching her. Dol. She sleeps at last! (Opens the window, and listens.) All silent in the street, And in the garden. Hark! Prec. (in her sleep). I must go hence! Give me my cloak! Dol. He comes! I hear his footsteps. Prec. Go tell them that I cannot dance to-night; I am too ill! Look at me! See the fever That burns upon my cheek! I must go hence. I am too weak to dance. (Signal from the garden.) Dol. (from the window). Who's there? Voice (from below). A friend. Dol. I will undo the door. Wait till I come. Prec. I must go hence. I pray you do not harm me! Shame! shame! to treat a feeble woman thus! Be you but kind, I will do all things for you. I'm ready now,--give me my castanets. Where is Victorian? Oh, those hateful lamps! They glare upon me like an evil eye. I cannot stay. Hark! how they mock at me! They hiss at me like serpents! Save me! save me! (She wakes.) How late is it, Dolores? Dol. It is midnight. Prec. We must be patient. Smooth this pillow for me. (She sleeps again. Noise from the garden, and voices.) Voice. Muera! Another Voice. O villains! villains! Lara. So! have at you! Voice. Take that! Lara. O, I am wounded! Dol. (shutting the window). Jesu Maria!

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

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§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

This scene is from Longfellow's verse drama *The Spanish Student*, rather than being a separate lyric poem. It unfolds during a tense midnight moment, filled with serenading songs echoing through the streets, as two rough men, Cruzado and Bartolome, pursue a rival suitor — the Count of Lara — who sneaks over a garden wall to reach the sleeping Preciosa. The scene culminates in a brawl in the garden, leaving Lara injured, while Preciosa wanders through an inescapable feverish dream.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. Good night! Good night, beloved! / I come to watch o'er thee!

    Editor's note

    The opening serenade is gentle and traditional — the singer promises that just being close to his beloved is sufficient. The repeated "Good night" feels like a lullaby, creating a false sense of security that the rest of the scene will ultimately disrupt.

  2. Thine eyes are stars of morning, / Thy lips are crimson flowers!

    Editor's note

    Classic Petrarchan flattery: eyes like stars, lips like flowers. Longfellow intentionally employs familiar romantic imagery to convey that this love is public and performative — the type celebrated loudly on the streets for all to hear, rather than a private emotion.

  3. Ah! thou moon that shinest / Argent-clear above!

    Editor's note

    A second serenade, sung more intimately, calls upon the moon to protect the singer's beloved. The moon is asked to keep watch throughout the night—ironic, considering that the true threat to Preciosa lurks beneath the cover of that very moonlit night.

  4. The nuns in the cloister / Sang to each other;

    Editor's note

    This third, fading song is both bawdy and comic—nuns yearning for a brother, a cat snatching a partridge. It intentionally disrupts the romantic mood. Bartolome grabs onto it as a joke and chases after it, conveniently clearing the street for Lara to make his move.

  5. The gate is fast. Over the wall, Francisco, / And draw the bolt.

    Editor's note

    Lara's instructions are direct and to the point—a stark contrast to the poetic songs. He isn't here to serenade; he's here to intrude. The stage directions and brief commands create a sense of urgency and hint that something violent is on the way.

  6. She sleeps at last! / (Opens the window, and listens.)

    Editor's note

    Dolores feels a wave of relief as Preciosa finally drifts off to sleep, but that moment is quickly shattered when she opens the window — inviting the outside world in. This creates a tense atmosphere where danger can creep in while the heroine is at her most vulnerable.

  7. I must go hence! / Give me my cloak!

    Editor's note

    Preciosa's sleep-talk exposes her anxiety, even when she's not awake. She mentions illness, fever, and her struggle to dance — her body and mind are instinctively reacting to a danger she hasn't recognized yet. The fever on her cheek and the hissing lamps indicate a mind that feels under attack.

  8. They glare upon me like an evil eye. / I cannot stay. Hark! how they mock at me!

    Editor's note

    The dream intensifies into paranoia: lamps turn into sinister eyes, and sounds morph into serpents. Here, Longfellow captures Preciosa's subconscious sensing real danger lurking close by. When she wakes and inquires about the time, the simple question — "How late is it, Dolores?" — snaps her back to reality.

  9. Voice. Muera! / Another Voice. O villains! villains!

    Editor's note

    The scene ends abruptly with violence. "Muera" means "Die!" in Spanish — chaos erupts in the garden as Lara gets hurt. Dolores slams the window shut and calls out to the Virgin Mary. The romantic songs that began the scene have twisted into a street brawl.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone changes three times in rapid succession. The opening serenades feel warm and courtly, almost dreamlike. The street dialogue between Cruzado and Bartolome is tense and cautious, spiced with dark humor in the raucous final song. Then the scene turns genuinely threatening — Preciosa's feverish dream-speech is filled with distress and helplessness, and the closing brawl feels abrupt and brutal. Longfellow transitions from romance to dread with little warning, which is exactly the intention.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The moon
Called on in the second serenade to protect the beloved, the moon symbolizes romantic idealism and a false sense of safety. It illuminates the scene beautifully but does nothing to stop the violence happening below.
The garden gate
The locked gate represents a divide between the public and private, safety and danger. Lara pushes it open while Cruzado and Bartolome scale it. Each breach of the gate signals an increased threat to Preciosa.
The lamps / evil eye
In Preciosa's dream, ordinary lamps turn into bright, menacing eyes and hissing snakes. They reflect her deep-down sense of being observed and pursued — her sleeping mind understands what her waking mind hasn’t grasped yet.
The serenades
The three songs transition from heartfelt devotion to protective love under the moonlight, and then to raucous comedy. Collectively, they showcase the wide range of how men express love in public, highlighting how disconnected that display often is from the woman's real safety.
The balcony and window
Classic thresholds in romantic drama. Lara attempts to climb the balcony from outside, while Dolores opens the window from within. Both actions break the barrier that protects Preciosa in her room.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Longfellow published *The Spanish Student* in 1843, inspired by his travels in Spain and his extensive reading of Spanish Golden Age drama, particularly works by Cervantes. The play centers on Preciosa, a young Romani dancer, and her suitor Victorian, set against a backdrop of jealousy and class struggles in early modern Spain. Longfellow was among the first American writers to genuinely appreciate Spanish literature as a valuable source, and the play showcases the Romantic era's intrigue with the vibrant colors and passions of southern Europe. This scene occurs near the end of Act II, where the villainous Count of Lara makes his most perilous move in his pursuit of Preciosa against her wishes. The embedded songs serve as a purposeful theatrical element drawn from Spanish comedia, using music to both create atmosphere and provide ironic commentary on the unfolding action.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

Is this actually a poem, or is it a play?

It’s a scene from The Spanish Student, a verse drama that Longfellow published in 1843. The entire play is composed in verse, which allowed individual scenes to be shared as poetry in various anthologies. The songs included — "Good night! Good night, beloved!" and the moon song — serve as lyric poems within the dramatic context.

Who is Preciosa and why is she in danger?

Preciosa is a young Romani dancer and the play's heroine. The Count of Lara desires her and is prepared to resort to force to claim her. Her true admirer, Victorian, is not present in this scene, which is precisely what Lara is banking on.

What does 'Muera' mean at the end?

It translates from Spanish to "Die!" or "Death to him!" Longfellow weaves in Spanish phrases throughout the play to enhance the setting. The shout marks a shift in the garden fight to a deadly confrontation — Lara gets wounded right after.

Why are there three different songs in one scene?

Each song has its own dramatic role. The first is a heartfelt serenade. The second builds tension as it gets closer. The third — the bawdy nun song — acts as a red herring, distracting Cruzado and Bartolome just enough for Lara to slip through the gate. Longfellow took inspiration from this layered-song technique in Spanish Golden Age theater.

What is Preciosa dreaming about, and why does it matter?

She dreams of being too sick to dance, feeling menaced by unseen forces—lamps glowing like wicked eyes, sounds resembling hissing snakes. Her dream reflects the real danger lurking in the garden below her window. Longfellow uses this to show that her subconscious is already aware of the threat, even as she sleeps.

Who are Cruzado and Bartolome, and whose side are they on?

They are tough characters linked to Preciosa's world — Cruzado acts as her protector within the Romani community. In this scene, they are pursuing Lara with hostile intent, which puts them on Preciosa's side, although they get there too late to prevent him from entering the garden.

What is the significance of the balcony and window imagery?

Longfellow is drawing on an ancient theatrical tradition — picture Romeo and Juliet. The balcony and window symbolize the line between the heroine's safe, private space and the perilous public world beyond. Each attempt to cross that boundary in this scene heightens the danger for Preciosa.

What is the mood of the opening songs compared to the end of the scene?

The opening songs create a warm, romantic atmosphere—almost like a lullaby. However, by the end of the scene, there's a shocking stabbing in the garden, followed by a servant screaming, "Jesu Maria!" Longfellow intentionally contrasts these elements: the beautiful music lulls both the characters and the reader into a false sense of security before the sudden violence strikes.

Citation

Cite this poem

MLA

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. "Song." Storgy, https://storgy.com/poems/song-henry-wadsworth-longfellow/.

APA

Longfellow, H. W. (n.d.). Song. Storgy. https://storgy.com/poems/song-henry-wadsworth-longfellow/

TeacherAP Lit Q1 scaffold — preview

Row A — Thesis

1 pt

In Longfellow's 'SONG.', the lyric serenade that opens the extract does not exist independently of romantic feeling; it is instead consistently undercut by the theatrical elements surrounding it — stage directions, street-level banter, and …

  • Row B — Evidence + Commentary4 pts
  • Row C — Sophistication1 pt
  • Common student errors
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