Washington Crossing the Delaware (sonnet) facts for kids
The poem "Washington Crossing the Delaware" was written in 1936 by David Shulman. This poem gets its name and idea from a famous painting. The painting, also called Washington Crossing the Delaware, was made in 1851 by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze.
What makes this poem special? It's an anagrammatic poem. This means every line of the poem is an anagram of its title. An anagram is when you rearrange the letters of a word or phrase to make new words or phrases. For this poem, all 14 lines use the exact same letters as "Washington Crossing the Delaware"! It's a very clever way to write a poem.
Contents
What Is an Anagrammatic Poem?
An anagrammatic poem is a type of poem where the letters in each line are rearranged from a main phrase. Imagine taking all the letters from "Washington Crossing the Delaware." Then, you use only those letters to create a new sentence for each line of the poem. This poem is also a sonnet, which means it has 14 lines and a specific rhyming pattern.
How Does It Work?
It's like a puzzle! The poet, David Shulman, took the letters from the title. Then he moved them around to form new words and sentences. Each new sentence became a line in the poem. Even though the letters are the same, the meaning of each line is different. This makes the poem very unique and fun to read.
The Poem's Text
Here is the full poem by David Shulman. As you read, try to see how each line relates to the original title.
A hard, howling, tossing water scene. Strong tide was washing hero clean. "How cold!" Weather stings as in anger. O Silent night shows war ace danger!
The cold waters swashing on in rage. Redcoats warn slow his hint engage. When star general's action wish'd "Go!" He saw his ragged continentals row.
Ah, he stands – sailor crew went going. And so this general watches rowing. He hastens – winter again grows cold. A wet crew gain Hessian stronghold.
George can't lose war with's hands in; He's astern – so go alight, crew, and win!
What Is the Painting About?
The painting Washington Crossing the Delaware shows a famous moment in American history. It pictures George Washington and his soldiers crossing the icy Delaware River. This happened on Christmas night in 1776. They were going to surprise attack Hessian soldiers in Trenton, New Jersey. The Hessians were German soldiers fighting for the British during the American Revolutionary War.
Why Was This Event Important?
This crossing and the Battle of Trenton were very important. They gave the American soldiers a big boost in spirits. Before this, the war was not going well for the Americans. This victory showed that they could win against the British and their allies. It was a turning point that helped the Americans believe in their fight for independence.
