It Is Not Always May

Quiz — It Is Not Always May by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

1. Recall – Form & Publication: In which 1841 collection was It Is Not Always May first published, and what literary tradition does the poem belong to?

1. Recall – Epigraph: The poem opens with a Spanish proverb about last year's nests. What language and cultural tradition does this epigraph draw from, and how did Longfellow likely encounter it?

1. Recall – Central Symbol: What object from nature serves as the poem's central symbol, and what does it represent according to the analysis?

1. Recall – Key Images: Identify TWO specific birds mentioned in the poem and explain the symbolic role each plays in the analysis.

1. Comprehension – Tone Shift: How does the poem's tone change in its final two stanzas, and what technique does Longfellow use to bring about that shift?

1. Comprehension – The River: What does the image of the river symbolize, and how does the detail of clouds described as ships at anchor both reinforce and complicate that symbolism?

1. Comprehension – Addressed Speaker: To whom does Longfellow directly speak in the later stanzas, and what is the core piece of advice he offers that person?

1. *Analysis – Carpe Diem Tradition: How does It Is Not Always May fit into the carpe diem* tradition, and in what way does Longfellow give it a distinctly American character?

1. Analysis – "Fragrance of thy prime": The analysis describes youth as being compared to a flower at its peak. Why is fragrance — rather than, say, colour or shape — a particularly effective vehicle for this idea about time?

1. Analysis – Biographical Context: How might Longfellow's personal circumstances in the years leading up to 1841 have shaped the poem's tone of warm urgency rather than open grief?

Answer Key

1. The poem was published in Ballads and Other Poems (1841); it belongs to the carpe diem tradition dating back to Horace and running through Renaissance poetry.

1. The proverb is Spanish ("No hay pájaros en los nidos de antaño"). Longfellow likely encountered it through his deep scholarly study of European languages and literature, which he pursued as a professor of modern languages at Harvard.

1. The empty bird's nest is the central symbol. It represents lost youth, missed opportunities, and joy that cannot be recovered — life that was once present but has since departed.

1. The bluebird symbolises hope, happiness, and the arrival of spring, functioning as a herald of fresh starts. The swallows contribute to the poem's vibrant, sensory opening atmosphere, helping establish spring's energy and potential.

1. In the final two stanzas the tone shifts from lyrical nature description to something nearly conversational. Longfellow breaks the fourth wall by addressing a young woman directly, making the poem feel personal and urgent rather than purely descriptive.

1. The river's continuous forward movement represents the unstoppable flow of time. The clouds described as motionless ships at anchor briefly create the illusion that time can stand still — but because rivers never truly stop, the image ultimately underscores that time cannot be paused.

1. Longfellow addresses a young woman. His core advice is that she should savour her youth and the beauty of the present moment now, rather than hesitating, because time keeps moving forward regardless of whether she is ready.

1. The poem urges the reader to seize the present before youth and beauty fade, which is the classic carpe diem impulse. Longfellow Americanises it by grounding the imagery in homey, native details — elms, swallows, and bluebirds — rather than the Classical or Continental references typical of the tradition.

1. Fragrance is something that exists only in the present moment; unlike colour or shape, it cannot be stored, painted, or revisited. This makes it an especially apt metaphor for youth: it is real and vivid while it lasts, but once gone it cannot be recovered or reproduced.

1. Longfellow's first wife had died in 1835, and by 1841 he was beginning to court someone new. Having experienced genuine loss, he understood the cost of time passing, yet he was also in a hopeful phase of life — a combination that would naturally produce a tone that acknowledges transience without wallowing in grief.