SUNRISE ON THE HILLS H W Longfellow

Stanza: 1
I stood upon the hills, when heaven's wide arch
Was  glorious  with  the sun's returning march,
And woods  were brightened, and soft gales
Went forth to kiss the sun-clad  vales.
The clouds were far  beneath me; bathed  in light,
They  gathered  midway round the  wooded height,
And, in their  fading glory, shone
Like hosts  in battle overthrown.
As many a pinnacle, with shifting glance.
Through  the gray mist thrust  up its shattered lance,
And  rocking on the cliff was  left
The  dark  pine blasted, bare, and  cleft.
The veil of  cloud was lifted, and below
Glowed  the rich valley,  and the  river's flow
Was  darkened by  the forest's shade,
Or glistened in the white  cascade;
Where  upward, in the mellow blush of day,
The noisy  bittern wheeled his spiral way. 

Arch (N) :A curved symmetrical structure spanning an opening and

typically supporting the weight of a bridge, roof, or wall above
it
Glorious (Adj) : Having a striking beauty or splendor
Gales (N) : Very strong winds
Vales (N) : Valleys (used in place names or as a poetic term)
Hosts (N) : Armies
Pinnacle (N) : A high, pointed piece of rock
Lance (N) : A long weapon with a wooden shaft and a pointed steel head,
formerly used by a horseman in charging
Rocking (V) : Moving gently to and fro or from side to side
Cleft (Adj) : Split, divided, or partially divided into two
Cascade (N) : A small waterfall, typically one of several that falls in stages
down a steep rocky slope
Mellow (Adj) : (Especially of a sound, flavour, or colour) Pleasantly smooth
or soft; free from harshness
Bittern (N) : A large marsh bird of the heron family, which is typically
smaller than a heron, with brown streaked plumage
             The poet sits on the hill. Very early in the morning, he experiences a
brightened sky. He calls the sky/horizon as “heaven’s wide arch.” The poet
knows that the sun has risen in the east. Sun rays are falling everywhere. The
“woods” are sparkling with sun rays. Soft gales are blowing very gently in the
sun-covered valley (“sun-clad vales”). Since the poet is alone on the top of the
cliff, he thinks like there are clouds beneath him. Even the sun rays make those
clouds gorgeous. The poet thinks these clouds are around the forest. He also
believes these clouds obscure the elegance of the forest. But the poet is able to
see several pinnacles of these trees. When the clouds go away, he realizes that
these are pine trees that are “blasted,” “bare” and “cleft.” In the end, the clouds
vanish. Now the poet sees a lovely valley that glows brilliantly below the cliff.
He keeps a close eye on the valley and sees a river whose water is darkened by
the “forest shade” which means that the sun rays do not fall on the flowing
river. Yet the “white cascade” shines with the sun’s light. It’s morning at last.
The poet will sense a noise of bitterness.

Stanza: 2
I heard  the distant  waters dash,
I saw the current whirl and flash,
And  richly, by the blue lake's silver  beach,
The woods  were bending with a silent reach.
Then  o'er the vale,  with gentle swell,
The  music of the  village bell
Came sweetly to the echo-giving  hills;
And the  wild  horn, whose voice the  woodland fills,
Was ringing  to  the merry shout,
That  faint and far the glen sent out,
Where, answering to the sudden shot, thin  smoke,
Through  thick-leaved  branches, from  the dingle broke.

Dash (V) : Strike or fling (something) somewhere with great force,

especially so as to have a destructive effect
Whirl (V) : Move or cause to move rapidly round and round
Flash (V) : Shine in a bright but brief, sudden, or intermittent way
Reach (N) : A continuous extent of water, especially a stretch of river
between two bends, or the part of a canal between locks
Swell (N) : A gradual increase in amount, intensity, or volume
Glen (N) : A narrow valley, especially in Scotland or Ireland
Dingle (N) : A deep wooded valley or dell
 At the beginning of the second stanza, the poet tells the sounds he hears
and experiences as he sits on the hills. He’s seeing the dashing of the waves.
Then he sees how the water shines and lights because of the current of the
water. Water flows to the “blue” pool, then to the “silver beach.” There are trees
that are bent at the “reach.” Across the valley, you can hear the “Music of the
Village Bell” ringing everywhere in the hills. Throughout the trees, the sound of
the “wild” horn can be heard. Its voice overwhelms the cheerful voices of the
villagers. At the end of the stanza, smoke emerges from below the valley.

Stanza: 3
 If thou art worn  and hard beset
With sorrows, that thou wouldst forget,
If  thou wouldst read a lesson, that will keep
Thy  heart from fainting and  thy soul from sleep,
Go  to  the woods and  hills!   No tears
Dim the  sweet look that Nature  wears. 

Thou (Pr) : An older form of the word “you”

Art (V) : An older form of the word “are”
Worn (Adj) : Very tired
Beset (Adj) : (Of a problem or difficulty) trouble (someone or something)
persistently
Wouldst (V) : An older form of the word “would”
Thy (Pr) : An older form of the word “your”

In the third stanza, the poet says that if one is tired of one’s troubles and
has some sort of pain, nature will cure it. So it’s easier if you’re going to drive.
Nature can cure one’s sadness and agony. It will teach people good lessons,
such as kindness, compassion, every moment in life, etc. If one is fed up with
one’s life, the poet advises the person to go on a path that rejuvenates and
refreshes his mind.

SUMMARY OF THE POEM

‘Sunrise on the Hills’ by H.W Longfellow is a celebration of the healing

power of nature. The poet muses upon the morning sun shining on the woods
and hills, and urges readers to return to the lap of nature to soothe their souls.
Throughout the poem, Longfellow compares the sun to a knight, and nature to
his sweetheart; the princess.
 The poem opens with a description of the grand glorious returning march
of the sun which the poet witnesses from the top of a hill. Nature, the princess,
has been waiting long under captivity. Now the city gates – heaven’s wide arch
– is glorious with the knight’s arrival.

The sun’s glory outshines everything else, and the clouds that have
gathered midway round the wooded height now look like an army overpowered
in battle. The enemy forces retreat and rocking on the conquered fortress is left
the dark pine blasted, bare and cleft.

The veil of cloud is lifted from above the face of princess nature and the
sun’s first rays leave a mellow blush on her face. Nature begins to smile, and
the rich valley begins to glow with all her charm. The distant waters dash and
the current whirl and flash. And the lakes, princess nature’s blue eyes, with their
silver beaches and the woods bending over them like eyelashes, brighten up.

From the beautiful sights of the valley, the poem gradually moves on to
the mesmerising sounds that the valley sends out. Nature begins to sing and the
noisy bittern wheels his spiral way up as in a musical note. The music of the
village bells echoes in the hills. The voice of the wild horn and the merry shouts
from the valley fill the air.

Watching sunrise on the hills leaves a profound soothing effect on the

poet and the poem ends with a piece of advice to the readers. Whenever you are
surrounded by the sorrows of life, whenever you fall upon the thorns of life and
bleed, go to the woods and hills! Nature’s charm will never fail to leave a smile
on your face. It has everything in it to keep your heart from fainting and your
soul from sleep. No tears can blur the beauteous look that Nature wears for us.
Figures of Speech

As for figures of speech, there is the use of Simile in the first stanza,
where one sees shattered, fading clouds compared to “hosts in battle
overthrown.”

There is consonance coming in ‘mist thrust’ and alliteration coming with

‘blasted, bare’.

The first stanza is full of images pertaining to sight (visual imagery).

There is a transition from ‘sight’ to ‘hearing’ in the second stanza.

Auditory imageries are used here profusely. One hears listens here. Every near
and distant sound leaves us in a mesmerizing soon. The dash, flash, the ringing
of ‘the village bell’, wild horn’s hooting echoed in the hilly countenance, the
merry shout of the valley – all is to our ears proving ‘poetry is to ears, not to
eyes’. Even the breaking sound of the thin smoke by distant answering does not
escape our ears.

The ‘merry shout’ is oxymoron giving the picture of a happy child

shouting at the top of his voice in an elevated state of mind. The poet has
brought out the pure, perfect innocence and enthusiasm of a child throughout
the poem.

Kinesthetic imagery is employed to impart the sense of movement. The

bittern’s flights in spiral way, the water’s current whirl are instances of the
active energy in nature.

Rhyme comes in the poem in pairs and the rhyme scheme is thus aa, bb,
and so on in the poem.

Seemingly simple a poem, it comes down to concentrate on a philosophy

of life in the last six lines. Longfellow introduces the ultimate doctor, the
perfect soothing agent to mankind – the nature. If you are worn out or feel hard
with difficult surroundings, nature is a lesson to keep you out of a fainting heart
and a sleepy soul.

The poem proclaims the power of nature. You ‘lose’ and ‘gain’ yourself
simultaneously in nature – you can’t get out of smiling face when you
constantly see sweet, cherishing face of Nature.