Reflection: Pegasus in Pound & Twilight

The two poems that I picked for this reflection blog were “Twilight” and “Pegasus in Pound,” both of which were written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. They were both part of The Seaside and the Fireside. The reason why I picked “Pegasus in Pound” was because I have a liking to Greek mythology, and Pegasus was the famed winged horse made by Poseidon.

At first, “Pegasus in Pound” seems to be talking about an actual winged horse being found astray, chained up to be sold, and later breaking out in the middle of the night. But under closer inspection and by revelation to a deeper meaning, I have found such meaning. I personally believe that the Pegasus in this instance is referring to a poet’s poems and other works. In line 3 and 4, the author says “In the golden prime of morning, strayed the poet’s winged steed” (Longfellow 3-4). When looked at in pair with the later lines about how the Pegasus escaped, and all of the townspeople wondered where it went. It talks of how nobody gave the Pegasus bedding or any other things such as that, and when the Pegasus was gone, there was a spring that flowed forever after that which nourished and calmed the people. The last bit leaves me to think that Longfellow was talking about how most of the time, when poets (and the same could be said for most artists) are alive, they do not get that much attention, but their works they leave behind are enjoyed by the people of the future. It includes many Romanticism characteristics, from the title, to the descriptiveness about nature in the beginning, to the rooster Alectryon, who was also from Greek mythology.


Twilight is talking about how during a storm, a fisherman’s child watches the storm in interest because of how wild the storm is, and how the mother is pacing the house in worry because the same storm that interests the child makes the mother / wife worry about her husband, who is most likely out fishing during the storm. The very descriptive nature and talking of death is very much a characteristic of Romanticism writing style.


One thing that both of these poems both have in common is that they both deal with death. “Pegasus in pound” talks of how it seems that only when a great poet dies, even though his works were out there when he was still living, personified by a Pegasus, do his works become famous and only then do people realize how good and soothing they are, like a “fount unfailing” that “gladdens the whole region round” and “soothes them with its sound” (Longfellow Pegasus 66-70). The theme of death in “Twilight” is very obvious, both in the name, which is often associated with death and other “dark” things and how storms and fisherman usually do not do each other well.


In a short biography of Longfellow, I saw that Longfellow was named after his uncle, who was in the Navy and died on board the Intrepid, and I thought that it may be of some connection to "Twilight" because it is also about a man out at sea, possibly dead, like his uncle (Oaks 2). I also saw that Longfellow learned both Greek and Latin, which might have attributed to his liking of mythology exemplified in "Pegasus in Pound" (Oak 2)



Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. "Pegasus in Pound - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)." Books & Literature Classics. Web. 14 Dec. 2011.



Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. "Twilight - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)."Books &

Literature Classics. Web. 14 Dec. 2011.


Oakes, Elizabeth H. "Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth."American Writers, American Biographies. New York:

Facts On File, Inc., 2004.Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.