
The Wreck of the Hesperus
- 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.
More free books by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
About Henry Wadsworth LongfellowThe Complete Poetical Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Song of Hiawatha
Evangeline
Tales of a Wayside Inn
Hyperion
The poetical works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Golden Legend
Courtship of Miles Standish
The Courtship of Miles Standish
Poems on Slavery
The Children's Own Longfellow
The Children's Longfellow










