Narrative poem · 1876

Clarel: A Poem and Pilgrimage in the Holy Land

by Herman Melville

Melville’s long narrative poem of a pilgrimage in Palestine, the longest poem in American literature: a young divinity student, Clarel, joins a company of pilgrims who travel from Jerusalem through the Judean wilderness to Mar Saba, the Dead Sea and Bethlehem, debating faith and doubt as they go. It runs to some eighteen thousand lines, chiefly in rhymed octosyllabic couplets with lyric interludes, in four parts: Jerusalem (44 cantos), The Wilderness (39), Mar Saba (32) and Bethlehem (35, the last an Epilogue).

Contents · 150 parts

• Part I, Canto I: The Hostelabout 180 lines
• Part I, Canto II: Abdonabout 150 lines
• Part I, Canto III: The Sepulchreabout 200 lines
• Part I, Canto IV: Of the Crusaders33 lines
• Part I, Canto V: Clarelabout 220 lines
• Part I, Canto VI: Tribes and Sects41 lines
• Part I, Canto VII: Beyond the Walls93 lines
• Part I, Canto VIII: The Votary77 lines
• Part I, Canto IX: Saint and Student48 lines
• Part I, Canto X: Ramblesabout 100 lines
• Part I, Canto XI: Lower Gihon93 lines
• Part I, Canto XII: Celioabout 150 lines
• Part I, Canto XIII: The Archabout 130 lines
• Part I, Canto XIV: In the Glenabout 140 lines
• Part I, Canto XV: Under the Minaret91 lines
• Part I, Canto XVI: The Wall of Wailabout 200 lines
• Part I, Canto XVII: Nathanabout 350 lines
• Part I, Canto XVIII: Nightabout 100 lines
• Part I, Canto XIX: The Fulfilment44 lines
• Part I, Canto XX: Vale of Ashes60 lines
• Part I, Canto XXI: By-Places47 lines
• Part I, Canto XXII: Hermitageabout 120 lines
• Part I, Canto XXIII: The Close93 lines
• Part I, Canto XXIV: The Gibe88 lines
• Part I, Canto XXV: Huts95 lines
• Part I, Canto XXVI: The Gate of Zion77 lines
• Part I, Canto XXVII: Matron and Maidabout 110 lines
• Part I, Canto XXVIII: Tomb and Fountainabout 140 lines
• Part I, Canto XXIX: The Recluse58 lines
• Part I, Canto XXX: The Site of the Passionabout 120 lines
• Part I, Canto XXXI: Rolfeabout 300 lines
• Part I, Canto XXXII: Of Rama56 lines
• Part I, Canto XXXIII: By the Stone98 lines
• Part I, Canto XXXIV: They Tarry79 lines
• Part I, Canto XXXV: Arculf and Adamnanabout 120 lines
• Part I, Canto XXXVI: The Tower70 lines
• Part I, Canto XXXVII: A Sketchabout 120 lines
• Part I, Canto XXXVIII: The Sparrow50 lines
• Part I, Canto XXXIX: Clarel and Ruth50 lines
• Part I, Canto XL: The Mounds81 lines
• Part I, Canto XLI: On the Wallabout 150 lines
• Part I, Canto XLII: Tidings87 lines
• Part I, Canto XLIII: A Procession56 lines
• Part I, Canto XLIV: The Start50 lines
• Part II, Canto I: The Cavalcadeabout 250 lines
• Part II, Canto II: The Skull-Cap34 lines
• Part II, Canto III: By the Gardenabout 190 lines
• Part II, Canto IV: Of Mortmainabout 160 lines
• Part II, Canto V: Clarel and Glaucon83 lines
• Part II, Canto VI: The Hamlet40 lines
• Part II, Canto VII: Guide and Guardabout 120 lines
• Part II, Canto VIII: Rolfe and Derwent44 lines
• Part II, Canto IX: Through Adomminabout 100 lines
• Part II, Canto X: A Haltabout 250 lines
• Part II, Canto XI: Of Deserts91 lines
• Part II, Canto XII: The Banker65 lines
• Part II, Canto XIII: Flight of the Greeksabout 140 lines
• Part II, Canto XIV: By Achorabout 130 lines
• Part II, Canto XV: The Fountain92 lines
• Part II, Canto XVI: Night in Jerichoabout 140 lines
• Part II, Canto XVII: In Mid-Watch50 lines
• Part II, Canto XVIII: The Syrian Monkabout 160 lines
• Part II, Canto XIX: An Apostate94 lines
• Part II, Canto XX: Under the Mountainabout 110 lines
• Part II, Canto XXI: The Priest and Rolfeabout 140 lines
• Part II, Canto XXII: Concerning Hebrewsabout 150 lines
• Part II, Canto XXIII: By the Jordanabout 190 lines
• Part II, Canto XXIV: The River-Rite96 lines
• Part II, Canto XXV: The Dominicanabout 210 lines
• Part II, Canto XXVI: Of Romeabout 190 lines
• Part II, Canto XXVII: Vine and Clarelabout 190 lines
• Part II, Canto XXVIII: The Fog53 lines
• Part II, Canto XXIX: By the Margeabout 170 lines
• Part II, Canto XXX: Petra75 lines
• Part II, Canto XXXI: The Inscriptionabout 100 lines
• Part II, Canto XXXII: The Encampmentabout 110 lines
• Part II, Canto XXXIII: Lot’s Seaabout 110 lines
• Part II, Canto XXXIV: Mortmain Reappears67 lines
• Part II, Canto XXXV: Prelusive41 lines
• Part II, Canto XXXVI: Sodomabout 130 lines
• Part II, Canto XXXVII: Of Traditions85 lines
• Part II, Canto XXXVIII: The Sleep-Walker50 lines
• Part II, Canto XXXIX: Obsequiesabout 160 lines
• Part III, Canto I: In the Mountainabout 170 lines
• Part III, Canto II: The Carpenter78 lines
• Part III, Canto III: Of the Many Mansions65 lines
• Part III, Canto IV: The Cyprioteabout 150 lines
• Part III, Canto V: The High Desertabout 200 lines
• Part III, Canto VI: Derwentabout 170 lines
• Part III, Canto VII: Bell and Cairn86 lines
• Part III, Canto VIII: Tents of Kedarabout 170 lines
• Part III, Canto IX: Of Monasteries69 lines
• Part III, Canto X: Before the Gateabout 100 lines
• Part III, Canto XI: The Beakerabout 280 lines
• Part III, Canto XII: The Timoneer’s Storyabout 180 lines
• Part III, Canto XIII: Song and Recitativeabout 130 lines
• Part III, Canto XIV: The Revel Closedabout 140 lines
• Part III, Canto XV: In Moonlightabout 120 lines
• Part III, Canto XVI: The Easter Fireabout 270 lines
• Part III, Canto XVII: A Chant73 lines
• Part III, Canto XVIII: The Minster56 lines
• Part III, Canto XIX: The Masqueabout 180 lines
• Part III, Canto XX: Afterward42 lines
• Part III, Canto XXI: In Confidenceabout 330 lines
• Part III, Canto XXII: The Medallion90 lines
• Part III, Canto XXIII: Derwent with the Abbotabout 130 lines
• Part III, Canto XXIV: Vault and Grottoabout 100 lines
• Part III, Canto XXV: Derwent and the Lesbianabout 160 lines
• Part III, Canto XXVI: Vine and the Palm72 lines
• Part III, Canto XXVII: Man and Birdabout 200 lines
• Part III, Canto XXVIII: Mortmain and the Palm97 lines
• Part III, Canto XXIX: Rolfe and the Palm82 lines
• Part III, Canto XXX: The Celibateabout 160 lines
• Part III, Canto XXXI: The Recoil65 lines
• Part III, Canto XXXII: Empty Stirrups77 lines
• Part IV, Canto I: In Saddleabout 190 lines
• Part IV, Canto II: The Ensignabout 230 lines
• Part IV, Canto III: The Islandabout 130 lines
• Part IV, Canto IV: An Intruder53 lines
• Part IV, Canto V: Of the Strangerabout 190 lines
• Part IV, Canto VI: Bethlehem55 lines
• Part IV, Canto VII: At Tableabout 100 lines
• Part IV, Canto VIII: The Pillow30 lines
• Part IV, Canto IX: The Shepherds’ Daleabout 170 lines
• Part IV, Canto X: A Monumentabout 200 lines
• Part IV, Canto XI: Disquiet45 lines
• Part IV, Canto XII: Of Pope and Turk87 lines
• Part IV, Canto XIII: The Church of the Starabout 260 lines
• Part IV, Canto XIV: Soldier and Monkabout 110 lines
• Part IV, Canto XV: Symphonies83 lines
• Part IV, Canto XVI: The Convent Roofabout 210 lines
• Part IV, Canto XVII: A Transition72 lines
• Part IV, Canto XVIII: The Hillsideabout 160 lines
• Part IV, Canto XIX: A New-Comerabout 170 lines
• Part IV, Canto XX: Derwent and Ungarabout 130 lines
• Part IV, Canto XXI: Ungar and Rolfeabout 160 lines
• Part IV, Canto XXII: Of Wickedness the Word72 lines
• Part IV, Canto XXIII: Derwent and Rolfe77 lines
• Part IV, Canto XXIV: Twilight26 lines
• Part IV, Canto XXV: The Invitation59 lines
• Part IV, Canto XXVI: The Prodigalabout 330 lines
• Part IV, Canto XXVII: By Parapet36 lines
• Part IV, Canto XXVIII: David’s Wellabout 160 lines
• Part IV, Canto XXIX: The Night Rideabout 150 lines
• Part IV, Canto XXX: The Valley of Decisionabout 150 lines
• Part IV, Canto XXXI: Dirge19 lines
• Part IV, Canto XXXII: Passion Weekabout 100 lines
• Part IV, Canto XXXIII: Easter76 lines
• Part IV, Canto XXXIV: Via Crucis56 lines
• Part IV, Canto XXXV: Epilogue34 lines

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