Cover of The Wreck of the Hesperus

The Wreck of the Hesperus

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Reading level
Plain English
Price
Free

About the book

"The Wreck of the Hesperus" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is a narrative poem first published in 1842. It tells the tragic story of a proud skipper who brings his daughter aboard during a winter voyage. Ignoring warnings of an approaching hurricane, he faces catastrophic consequences when the storm strikes. The skipper ties his daughter to the mast as the ship crashes onto a reef. The poem explores themes of pride, fate, and tragedy through this devastating maritime disaster.

  • Hesperus (Ship)
  • Shipwrecks

Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #13830. The Wreck of the Hesperus on Wikipedia.

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