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THE ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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

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A young girl shares the Gospel story of Blind Bartimeus, a beggar by the road outside Jericho who calls out to Jesus and receives his sight.

Poet
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Themes
faith, hope, identity
The PoemFull text

THE ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

THE SYRO-PHOENICIAN WOMAN and her DAUGHTER on the house-top at Jerusalem. THE DAUGHTER, singing. Blind Bartimeus at the gates Of Jericho in darkness waits; He hears the crowd;—he hears a breath Say, “It is Christ of Nazareth!” And calls, in tones of agony, Ἰησοῦ, ἐλέησόν με! The thronging multitudes increase; Blind Bartimeus, hold thy peace! But still, above the noisy crowd, The beggar’s cry is shrill and loud; Until they say, “He calleth thee!” Θάρσει ἔγειραι, φωνεῖ δε! Then saith the Christ, as silent stands The crowd, “What wilt thou at my hands?” And he replies, “O give me light! Rabbi, restore the blind man’s sight.” And Jesus answers, Ὕπαγε Ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέ δε! Ye that have eyes, yet cannot see, In darkness and in misery, Recall those mighty Voices Three, Ἰησοῦ, ἐλέησόν με! Θάρσει ἔγειραι, ὕπαγε! Ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέ δε!

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

A young girl shares the Gospel story of Blind Bartimeus, a beggar by the road outside Jericho who calls out to Jesus and receives his sight. The poem culminates in a bold challenge to the reader: if you have eyes but still can't recognize what truly matters, then you're the one who is really blind. Longfellow incorporates original Greek phrases from the New Testament, adding depth and authenticity to the moment.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. Blind Bartimeus at the gates / Of Jericho in darkness waits;

    Editor's note

    The daughter sets the scene directly from the Gospel of Mark (10:46–52). Bartimeus is sitting outside Jericho—a city whose gates symbolize the boundary between his old life of darkness and a new one. The word "waits" carries significant weight here: this is a man whose entire life has been defined by waiting.

  2. The thronging multitudes increase; / Blind Bartimeus, hold thy peace!

    Editor's note

    The crowd attempts to quiet the beggar — a detail that Longfellow takes straight from scripture. The irony is striking: the very people nearest to a miracle are the ones trying to hinder it. Bartimeus won’t be silenced, and his determination is what catches attention. The Greek line — *Θάρσει ἔγειραι, φωνεῖ δε* ("Take heart, rise up, he is calling thee") — comes just as the crowd's demeanor changes the moment Jesus stops.

  3. Then saith the Christ, as silent stands / The crowd, "What wilt thou at my hands?"

    Editor's note

    The crowd that was noisy just a moment ago falls completely silent. Jesus asks a question that seems almost obvious — of course a blind man wants to see — but the question is important. It acknowledges Bartimeus as a person with agency, not just a problem to solve. The Greek closing line, *Ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέ δε* ("Thy faith hath made thee whole"), shifts the focus back to Bartimeus himself.

  4. Ye that have eyes, yet cannot see, / In darkness and in misery,

    Editor's note

    The poem shifts from storytelling to a more sermonic tone. The three Greek phrases echo like a liturgical refrain, positioning the reader as the one being spoken to. Longfellow emphasizes that physical blindness is the simpler issue; the more challenging blindness is spiritual or moral — it's about having sight yet remaining in darkness. The daughter's song transforms into a direct invitation to faith.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone is both reverent and urgent. It feels like a hymn sung by someone who truly believes in the message—there’s no sense of detachment or irony. The Greek phrases add a ceremonial, even liturgical weight, while the ballad-like rhyme scheme makes it feel approachable and progressive. By the last stanza, the tone transitions from storytelling to a direct address, and the warmth evolves into a gentle challenge.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

Blindness
Bartimeus's physical blindness symbolizes any condition — whether spiritual, moral, or emotional — where a person fails to see what is true or good. In the final stanza, Longfellow clearly states that the truly blind are those who have functioning eyes yet still exist "in darkness and in misery."
The crowd
The crowd trying to silence Bartimeus symbolizes the social pressure and conventional mindset that often stifles genuine, desperate pleas for help. They mean well, but they're close to stopping a miracle from happening.
The Greek phrases
Longfellow includes the original Greek from the New Testament at the end of each stanza — *"Jesus, have mercy on me,"* *"Take heart, rise up, he is calling thee,"* and *"Thy faith hath made thee whole."* These lines serve as sacred anchors, elevating the poem beyond just a retelling and making it feel more like scripture. By repeating them in the final stanza, he transforms them into a creed.
The gates of Jericho
Jericho's gates represent the line between exclusion and inclusion, between the world Bartimeus is trapped in and the world he is about to step into. Standing at a gate symbolizes hope — you may not be inside, but you haven't lost faith.
The Syro-Phoenician woman and her daughter
The framing device — a mother and daughter on a rooftop in Jerusalem — gives a voice to Gentile outsiders, who were once excluded from Jewish religious life themselves. Their rendition of this story adds depth: faith and healing are accessible to everyone, not just those within the fold.

§06Historical context

Historical context

This poem is an excerpt from Longfellow's ambitious dramatic work *Christus: A Mystery* (1872), a trilogy he spent nearly thirty years crafting. The complete piece explores the history of Christianity across three distinct periods: the early church, the medieval era, and the modern age. "The Entry into Jerusalem" is part of the first section, *The Divine Tragedy*, which dramatizes scenes from the Gospels. Longfellow wrote during a time of significant religious upheaval in America — Darwin's *On the Origin of Species* was published in 1859, challenging traditional beliefs. By incorporating authentic Greek scripture into an English ballad form, he expressed his view that poetry could bridge the emotional with the intellectual, as well as the popular with the sacred. The song is framed as being sung by a Syro-Phoenician woman and her daughter — Gentile outsiders in Jerusalem — which is a deliberate theological choice that universalizes Bartimeus's healing message.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

Bartimeus is a character from the New Testament, primarily detailed in Mark 10:46–52. He is a blind beggar located outside Jericho who, upon hearing that Jesus is passing by, cries out for mercy even as the crowd attempts to hush him. Ultimately, he regains his sight. His name translates to "son of Timaeus." Longfellow remains faithful to the Gospel narrative.

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