Into the sunshine,
Full of the light,
Leaping and flashing
From morn till night;
Into the moonlight,
Whiter than snow,
Waving so flower-like
When the winds blow;
Into the starlight,
Rushing in spray,
Happy at midnight,
Happy by day;
Ever in motion,
Blithesome and cheery.
Still climbing heavenward,
Never aweary;
Glad of all weathers,
Still seeming best,
Upward or downward,
Motion thy rest;
Full of a nature
Nothing can tame,
Changed every moment,
Ever the same;
Ceaseless aspiring,
Ceaseless content,
Darkness or sunshine
Thy element;
Glorious fountain,
Let my heart be
Fresh, changeful, constant,
Upward, like thee!
The Complete Poetical Works of James Russell Lowell (1925) | James Russell Lowell (1819–1891)
Suggestions
Ask your students to do one or more of the following:
- Poems beg to be read aloud. Read this one aloud, not pausing at the end of every line, but only pausing at the punctuation.
- “The Fountain” has a very easy rhythm. Does it make you think of a fountain? What is the rhyme scheme? (abca)
- Lowell describes the fountain so clearly the reader can nearly “see” it. Draw what you “see.”
- There are many mentions of light. List them.
- What about the fountain does Lowell wish to imitate?
- Read other poems by Lowell.
- James Russell Lowell was known as one of the “fireside poets,” American poets that were popular in the late 1800s whose poems could be read by the entire family around the hearth. Other fireside poets include John Greenleaf Whittier, William Cullen Bryant, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. Read at least one poem by each of these authors. Explain how how the themes are similar.
- Create an author page for Lowell.
Additional Resources
14 Forms of Writing for the Older Student: Poetry
Ideas for doing more with the poem.
