quote · Legacy record
Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying: ‘Here is a story book Thy Father has written for thee.’ ‘Come, wander with me,’ she said, ‘Into regions yet untrod; And read what is still unread In the manuscripts of God.’ And he wandered away and away With Nature, the dear old nurse, Who sang to him night and day The rhymes of the universe. And whenever the way seemed long, Or his heart began to fail, She would sing a more wonderful song, Or tell a more marvellous tale.
Nature, the old nurse, took The child upon her knee, Saying: ‘Here is a story book Thy Father has written for thee.’ ‘Come, wander with me,’ she said, ‘Into regions yet untrod; And read what is still unread In the manuscripts of God.’ And he wandered away and away With Nature, the dear old nurse, Who sang to him night and day The rhymes of the universe. And whenever the way seemed long, Or his heart began to fail, She would sing a more wonderful song, Or tell a more marvellous tale.
Approximate author period: c. 1844 AD · industrial
Meaning not yet available
An individual explanation has not yet been added. We do not substitute a generic description for an interpretation of these particular words.
Begin with source-checked readings and explanations ↗Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Henry W. Longfellow
Attribution: attributed - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Approximate author period: c. 1844 AD · industrial
author lifetime midpoint (1807–1882)
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- My Commonplace Book (third English edition,1921) (1921 AD)
Page 355 · printed citation: Longfellow (Agassiz). · compiler notes excluded
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
