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THE GUEST. by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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A woman is at a man's feet, crying and wiping them with her hair while pouring on expensive perfume.

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

THE GUEST.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

See, how she kneels there weeping, and her tears Fall on his feet; and her long, golden hair Waves to and fro and wipes them dry again. And now she kisses them, and from a box Of alabaster is anointing them With precious ointment, filling all the house With its sweet odor! SIMON, aside, Oh, this man, forsooth, Were he indeed a Prophet, would have known Who and what manner of woman this may be That toucheth him! would know she is a sinner!

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

A woman is at a man's feet, crying and wiping them with her hair while pouring on expensive perfume. Nearby, a man named Simon grumbles that if this man was really a prophet, he would recognize her as a sinner. This poem dramatically retells a well-known New Testament moment where a sinful woman expresses her deep devotion to Jesus at a Pharisee's home. Longfellow allows the stark difference between the woman's sincere love and Simon's harsh judgment to speak for itself.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. See, how she kneels there weeping, and her tears / Fall on his feet…

    Editor's note

    The opening stanza reads like stage directions, revealing the scene to us. We see the woman's tears, her hair serving as a towel, the kiss, and the alabaster box of ointment—each detail taken directly from Luke 7. Longfellow rapidly layers sensory images (sight, touch, smell) to create a sense of overwhelming devotion. The scent of the ointment permeating the entire house is the final touch—her love is boundless and impossible to overlook.

  2. SIMON, aside, / Oh, this man, forsooth…

    Editor's note

    The stage direction 'aside' indicates we're now in Simon the Pharisee's thoughts. His words are filled with disdain—terms like 'forsooth' and 'what manner of woman' show he believes he has all the answers. His reasoning is straightforward and harsh: a true prophet would recognize her sin and distance himself. Longfellow allows Simon to dig his own grave; the reader quickly picks up that Simon's overconfidence is the real issue here.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The poem balances two contrasting tones. In the first stanza, there's a warm, almost breathless quality as the narrator observes the woman expressing her grief and love with a sense of wonder. The second stanza shifts to a sharp and dismissive tone; Simon's voice comes across as clipped, self-satisfied, and judgmental. Longfellow refrains from adding his own commentary. Instead, he relies on the contrast to convey the moral: tenderness versus calculation, humility versus pride.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

Tears and hair
The woman offers her deepest personal possessions—her grief and her hair—to help another person. Together, they embody a kind of total, selfless devotion that disregards dignity or appearances.
Alabaster box of ointment
Alabaster was costly, and the ointment inside was even pricier. Breaking open something valuable and pouring it out shows a level of love that’s both extravagant and permanent. It also indicates that she’s letting go of something genuinely valuable in the material world.
The sweet odor filling the house
The scent filling the room is an undeniable act of love that Simon can't ignore, no matter how much he might try to downplay it. It serves as tangible proof that something truly special is taking place.
Simon's aside
The theatrical device of the 'aside'—a thought spoken so only the audience hears—shows Simon as someone who hides his true opinions, maintaining a polite facade. It symbolizes hypocrisy: he observes love but perceives only sin.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Longfellow included this piece in his dramatic poem sequence *Christus: A Mystery* (1872), a trilogy he spent nearly thirty years developing. The scene is taken directly from Luke 7:36–50, where a sinful woman washes Jesus's feet at Simon the Pharisee's house. Throughout his career, Longfellow was attracted to themes of religion and morality, and *Christus* was his most ambitious effort to portray the complete story of Christian history. By the 1870s, he had become the most widely read poet in America, and works like this held significant cultural influence. The dramatic style—complete with stage directions and character names—shows his fascination with verse drama, aiming to present scripture in a way that feels immediate and relatable instead of distant and doctrinal.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

It retells Luke 7:36–50, where a woman known as a sinner comes into the house of Simon the Pharisee. She weeps at Jesus's feet, dries them with her hair, and pours expensive ointment on them. In response, Jesus forgives her sins and highlights the difference between her passionate love and Simon's indifferent hospitality.

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