Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Most Widely Admired American Poet 1807 - 1882)

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American Professor and Poet. He was too a traveler, a linguist, and a romantic who identified with the great traditions of European literature and thought. At the same time, he was rooted in American life and history, which charged his imagination with untried themes and made him ambitious for success. He is likely the most widely admired American Poet of all time; Amongst his most notable works are his longer pieces “Evangeline” (1847), “The Song of Hiawatha” (1855) and “The Courtship of Miles Standish” (1858).

At thirteen Longfellow published his very first poem in the "Portland Gazette," signing it simply "HENRY." The Battle of Lovell's Pond, was a heroic tale of battle between colonists and Indians; it appeared on the front page of the "Gazette." There was no praise forthcoming, for no one in the family (except his sister Anne with whom he had shared his secret) realized that their Henry had written the poem. Later that evening while at a friend's house, he overheard the father say to another friend how terrible the poem was. Young Henry was devastated but it did not put a stop to his literary aspirations.

In the fall of 1822, the 15-year old Longfellow enrolled at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine alongside his brother Stephen. There, Longfellow met Nathaniel Hawthorne, who would later become his lifelong friend. In his senior year, Longfellow wrote to his father about his aspirations:

"I will not disguise it in the least... the fact is, I most eagerly aspire after future eminence in literature, my whole soul burns most ardently after it, and every earthly thought centres in it... I am almost confident in believing, that if I can ever rise in the world it must be by the exercise of my talents in the wide field of literature."

The U.S. Postal Service celebrated the 200th birthday of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow March 15, 2007 with the issuance of the 39-cent Henry Wadsworth Longfellow commemorative stamp.

Longfellow was the most popular poet of his day. He was such an admired figure in the United States during his life that his 70th birthday in 1877 took on the air of a national holiday, with parades, speeches, and the reading of his poetry. He had become one of the first American celebrities and was also popular in Europe. It was reported that 10,000 copies of The Courtship of Miles Standish sold in London in a single day. Queen Victoria invited him to tea and he received honorary doctoral degrees from Cambridge and Oxford Universities, indicative of his popularity outside of the United States.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow died at home in Cambridge on 24 March 1882. He now rests in the Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. In 1884 he was the first and only American poet for whom a commemorative sculpted bust was placed in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey in London. His marble bust now stands among the monuments to other such world-renowned authors and poets as Charles Dickens, Samuel Johnson, Rudyard Kipling, and Robert Browning.

The Battle of Lovell's Pond

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Cold, cold is the north wind and rude is the blast
That sweeps like a hurricane loudly and fast,
As it moans through the tall waving pines lone and drear,
Sighs a requiem sad o'er the warrior's bier.

The war-whoop is still, and the savage's yell
Has sunk into silence along the wild dell;
The din of the battle, the tumult, is o'er,
And the war-clarion's voice is now heard no more.

The warriors that fought for their country, and bled,
Have sunk to their rest; the damp earth is their bed;
No stone tells the place where their ashes repose,
Nor points out the spot from the graves of their foes.

They died in their glory, surrounded by fame,
And Victory's loud trump their death did proclaim;
They are dead; but they live in each Patriot's breast,
And their names are engraven on honor's bright crest.

Longfellow's first verses, so far as known, printed in the Portland Gazette, November 17, 1820.

Footsteps of Angels

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
When the hours of Day are numbered,
And the voices of the Night
Wake the better soul, that slumbered,
To a holy, calm delight;

Ere the evening lamps are lighted,
And, like phantoms grim and tall,
Shadows from the fitful firelight
Dance upon the parlor wall;

Then the forms of the departed
Enter at the open door;
The beloved, the true-hearted,
Come to visit me once more;

He, the young and strong, who cherished
Noble longings for the strife,
By the roadside fell and perished,
Weary with the march of life!

They, the holy ones and weakly,
Who the cross of suffering bore,
Folded their pale hands so meekly,
Spake with us on earth no more!

And with them the Being Beauteous,
Who unto my youth was given,
More than all things else to love me,
And is now a saint in heaven.

With a slow and noiseless footstep
Comes that messenger divine,
Takes the vacant chair beside me,
Lays her gentle hand in mine.

And she sits and gazes at me
With those deep and tender eyes,
Like the stars, so still and saint-like,
Looking downward from the skies.

Uttered not, yet comprehended,
Is the spirit's voiceless prayer,
Soft rebukes, in blessings ended,
Breathing from her lips of air.

Oh, though oft depressed and lonely,
All my fears are laid aside,
If I but remember only
Such as these have lived and died!

In honor of Mary Storer Potter (1813-1835). Longfellow's 1st wife who died in Rotterdam, The Netherlands after having a miscarriage.

The Arrow and the Song

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I shot an arrow into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For, so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could not follow it in its flight.

I breathed a song into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For who has sight so keen and strong,
That it can follow the flight of song?

Long, long afterward, in an oak
I found the arrow, still unbroke;
And the song, from beginning to end,
I found again in the heart of a friend.

Longfellow was part of the group called the Fireside Poets, which is said to have comprised William Cullen Bryant, John Greenleaf Whittier, James Russell Lowell, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. & himself. They were the first American poets whose popularity rivalled that of British poets, both at home and abroad. The Fireside Poets' general adherence is to expected poetic convention -- standard forms, regular meter, and rhymed stanzas that are particularly suitable for memorization and recitation, both in schools and at home.

Nature

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
As a fond mother, when the day is o'er,
Leads by the hand her little child to bed,
Half willing, half reluctant to be led,
And leave his broken playthings on the floor,
Still gazing at them through the open door,
Nor wholly reassured and comforted
By promises of others in their stead,
Which, though more splendid, may not please him more;
So Nature deals with us, and takes away
Our playthings one by one, and by the hand
Leads us to rest so gently, that we go
Scarce knowing if we wish to go or stay,
Being too full of sleep to understand
How far the unknown transcends the what we know.

Longfellow often used allegory in his work. In "Nature", for example, death is depicted as bedtime for a cranky child.

PaintedDiary · #1 07-25-2008, 07:04 PM

What an amazing life to learn about! The Fireside Poets..I never heard of them and now am honored to know of their plight and work. Thank you Ms Jacquii for this exciting and informative post!

Kim

MsJacquiiC · #2 07-25-2008, 08:00 PM

Hey! Glad you enjoyed - He was quite the talented Artiste no doubt.
I'm gonna start posting the bios again soon - took a bit of a hiatus to complete the forum re-design - So be looking forward to some wonderful biographies!

Jacquii.

PaintedDiary · #3 07-25-2008, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MsJacquiiC

Hey! Glad you enjoyed - He was quite the talented Artiste no doubt.
I'm gonna start posting the bios again soon - took a bit of a hiatus to complete the forum re-design - So be looking forward to some wonderful biographies!

Jacquii.

I am looking forward to it Ms Jacquii...these bios are educational, inspirational, and simply amazing!

Kim

Libralight · #4 07-26-2008, 09:05 AM

Jacquii: This is wonderful information. See how his poems sing! I'm going to print this info out on Longfellow so I can absorb more of it over time. I was recently reading some Wordsworth poems to my mom from a book she has, and hadn't realized how amazingly good he was also.
After slogging my way through Shakespere I became worried all the old poets were going to be as difficult. And since Shakespere is supposed to be the best of the best, knowing most of the time I can't make heads or tails of what he's saying, I haven't spent much time studying the rest of them. Thanks for putting this kind of information on your site!

MsJacquiiC · #5 07-26-2008, 08:55 PM

Well - to be honest - Shakespeare was more of a Bard, meaning his wriiting was more of a drama type thing, made for difficult reading IMO - Whereas Longfellow and his compatriots are more of Poet, where the flow of the verse is made for the read, but sings well when recited as well

--- Don't tell anyone I said that though LOL - Don't want the whole of literary snob after me... But yeah - Shakespeare was never quite my thing...

Jacquii.

Libralight · #6 07-26-2008, 09:02 PM

Good. I was afraid it was my tiny brain.
Thanks,
L

MsJacquiiC · #7 07-26-2008, 09:38 PM

LOL - Surely you're not the 1st to ever have issue with Shakespeare drivvle

Jacquii.

RonPrice · #8 07-27-2008, 01:32 AM

President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s held fireside chats. Part of their aim was not unlike some of the aims of "The Fireside Poets"--of which Longfellow was one. The general adherence of these fireside poets was to expected poetic convention—standard forms, regular meter, and rhymed stanzas. This made their body of work particularly suitable for memorization and recitation, both in schools and at home where it was a source of entertainment for families gathered around the fire. The poets' primary subjects were the domestic life, mythology and the politics of America.

I don't know if there was/is a link, but until today and until your post here at this "Poetry in Colour Forum" I did not contemplate such an idea. Thanking you, Jacquii.-Ron Price, Tasmania

MsJacquiiC · #9 07-27-2008, 02:18 AM

Yes! Part of the aim of the Fireside Poets was to make Poetry in general the topic of everyday conversation. And their adherence to the strict code of metered and well-rhymed poetry made it so much easier to quote a favorite, as the rhyme was generally quite memorable. I'm sure Roosevelt's fireside chats (which I've heard of in fast history lessons) had pretty much the same goals in mind, except the topid of discourse was about how to better the country and politics in general.

Thanx for commenting RON and I'm glad you appreciate the post

Jacquii.

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