The Song of the Exile—A Canadian Epic

"The Song of the Exile—A Canadian Epic" by Wilfred S. Skeats is a long poem that mixes personal feelings and historical events in Canada. The poem tells the story of a man who is struggling with being forced to leave his home in Scotland and start a new life in Canada. He had to leave behind the woman he loved because their families were from different social classes. The poem is divided into parts, and it begins with the narrator talking about how sad he is to leave England and how he misses his love. Even though he loves his home, he knows it didn't make him happy. He couldn't marry the woman he loved because her family didn't approve. This makes him travel through Canada, thinking about love and remembering important Canadian historical moments and people, like Samuel de Champlain. The beginning of the poem introduces the big ideas of feeling sad about leaving home and thinking about what it means to be part of a country, inviting readers to think about both personal experiences and the history of a nation.