By Melissa Rich
Student, University of North Carolina at Pembroke
*next to edited change from the origninal
Issues and themes
Inspiration
As a boy, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow knew he wanted to become
a
poet. The beautiful scenery of the coastal city left an
impact on young
Longfellow. *He was the second of eight children in his
family. Second
only to his happiness at home, was the nature of Portland that
surrounded
him. As Edward Hirsh described in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,
"The
nearby woods and the northward sweep of forest beyond
them; the color and bustle of the harbor; above all, the restless
Atlantic
with its changing moods--these were to haunt Longfellow's imagination
throughout his life and to give much of his poetry its dominant
imagery" (6).
Portland, Maine, inspired Longfellow's desire to
see more of the world through its metropolitan life, yet at the
same time,
the waterfront served as the quiet escape for meditation (Williams
28).
*Living in Portland, he witnessed many memorable historical events:
in 1813 the seafight between the British and the Americans and
in 1824 the
Marquis de Lafayette visited *Portland. As Cecil B. Williams
stated: "it is
easy to believe that much of his (Longfellow's) facility for
verse rhythms
came to him through his responsive listening to the lapping of
the waves
and to the sighing of the wind in lofty pines
nearby." (29). Edward Hirsh agreed as he wrote: "The sea
is Longfellow's
deepest and most inclusive symbol. . . it is the restless mystery
of existence.
. ." (26). *Longfellow loved Portland. He absorbed
all that he could and he
took nothing for granted. From the images he gathered and lessons
he
learned, he published beautiful poems enabling the rest
of the world to
share
in his indescribable visions.
Qualifications
After he graduated from college, Longfellow's yearning to be a
poet had
intensified into a "burning ambition" (Williams 129). Along
with his
dedicated desire to be a poet, he possessed many other great
*qualities. As a boy, he was always conscientious,
industrious, persevering, *prompt, and every task he engaged
in
received his full and best effort. *At the same time, he
loved to play as all
little boys do. As he grew and began to write more poetry,
"he was
equipped to become a first-rate poet" (Williams 129). Longfellow
was
very careful, skillful, and sensitive in his use of language.
The language that
he chose was"simple and economical, natural in movement, emotionally
exact in its use of words and phrases, and restrained in statement"
(Hirsh
31). *He is noted for the way in which his language takes
on its own life:
charged with meaning from the ever-occurring situations of life.
According
to Williams, Longfellow, unlike other poets, did not depend on
connotations or overtones from within the poem to create his
lively
verses; rather, he created illusions of events and experiences
of life to
which practically everyone can relate. He goes on to address
that a
significant supply of knowledge about Longfellow and his life
are essential
to fully understanding the meaning of his works. His "genuine
poetic
imagination" had been steadfastly building in credibility from
all his life
experiences (129). Longfellow possessed an outstanding
ear for rhyme
and meter and his knowledge of different "prosodic forms" allowed
him to
be *"choosey" when creating his poems (Williams 129). His
technical
endowment was considered much better than average. "If his worst
fault is
that he made poetry seem so easy to write that anyone could do
it, his
greatest virtue is that he made poetry seem worth reading and
worth
writing" (Parker 628).
Before Tragedy
Longfellow went to college at Bowdoin and became a professor of
modern languages. He spent many years in Europe mastering
many
different languages. When he returned, he quickly accepted a
position to
teach at Harvard. The position required more studying so he returned
to Europe again.. He enjoyed traveling and on his trip in 1835
he met
his future second wife, Fanny Appleton, the Boston heiress. They
received the Craigie House in Cambridge as a wedding gift from her
father.
Longfellow had everything he could have wanted; his "life was idyllic"
(Parker 629).
Longfellow
and Fanny had five children: Charles, Ernest, Alice, Edith, and Annie
Allegra. He was very tender, devotional, and loving toward his
children and
"The Children's Hour" is one of the poems Longfellow wrote depicting
himself as their father, a poet. All his friendships were lifelong.
During his
middle years, Longfellow was "less succesfully challenged; and just
materially,
thanks to his literary rewards and his wife's fortune, his life was
as easy and
as free from pinch as that of any American writer has every been."
(Arvin 133).
After Tragedy
On July 9, 1861, while Longfellow was resting in his study, something
happened just seconds away in the room next door that would affect
his
life forever. His beloved wife was sealing up their daughter's
hair when
either a drop of hot wax or a spark sprang into her lap and set
her summer
dress aflame. Longfellow was awoken as Fanny ran to him
and he
frantically attempted to smother the flames. Fanny was
severely burned
and passed away that night. *Longfellow also was badly
burned, yet not to
the extreme that his wife was burned. He was unable to
shave his face anymore
as a result of the scars left by the burning flames; this is
where the
well-pictured "bearded Longfellow" (white Longfellow) was created
(Hirsh
12). For months, Longfellow lived his life in constant
grief. Newton Arvin
in his Longfellow. . .His Life and Work stated: "His mind
wandered, and
he feared that he would go mad." Longfellow was deeply
depressed and
never spoke freely of his loss to anyone. He does however,
refer to it
directly in only one of his poems, "The Cross of Snow" (Hirsh
12-13).
Edward Hirsh wrote that
Longfellow forced himself to "resume writing as an escape from
his grief"
(13). It was during this time that he accomplished some
of his most
successful works, yet the transformation from happy spirited
and
peaceful poems to dark, mysterious, and
gloomy work can be easily recognized. "The Rainy Day" is
one of his
best-known poems written after Fanny's death. In the poem,
Longfellow
compares his life to that of a rainy day being "cold, and dark,
and dreary"
(Williams 133). After many sad
poems, Longfellow took his last journey to Europe from 1868-1869.
This
trip was "almost royal progress, with honorary degrees conferred
by the
universities of Oxford and Cambridge. . . cheers of the undergraduates.
. .
reception by Queen Victoria. . . . Victor Hugo saluted Longfellow
as a
man who brought honor to America. . . he was clearly the uncrowned
poet
laureate. " (Hirsh 14).
Bibliography
Arvin, Newton. Longfellow: His Life and Work.
Boston: Little,
Brown and Company, 1962. PS 2281. A6.
Hirsh, Edward. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Minneapolis:
Jones Press, Inc., 1964. PS 2281. H55.
Parker, Hershel. The Norton Anthology of American Literature,
American Literature 1820-1865. New York: W.W.Norton
&
Company, 1995.
Scudder, Horace E. Longfellow's Complete Poems.
New York:
Houghton Mifflin Company, 1922. PS 2250. F22.
Wagenknecht, Edward. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:
His Poetry
and Prose. New York: The Ungar Publishing
Company, 1986. PS
2288. W27 1986.
Williams, Cecil B. Longfellow. Boston:
Twayne Publishers, 1964.
PS 2281. W47.
Life
Identity
Teacher (Professorship)
of Modern Languages
Poet
Homes
Portland, Maine
Europe (France,
Germany, Italy,
Scandinavia, Spain)
Cambridge, England
Chronology
1807: Born in
Portland, Maine
1825: Graduated
fourth out of thirty-eight
from Bowdoin College
1826-1829: Lived in
Europe (France,
Germany, Italy, and
Spain) and studied
languages in preparation
for his work
at Bowdoin, where he
would soon hold one of
the few "professorships
of modern languages" in
the country (Parker
628).
1829-1835: Served as
professor of Modern
Languages at Bowdoin
1831: Married Mary
Storer Potter
1835: Accepted a
position at Harvard as
Professor of Modern
Languages and
Belles-Lettres. He
prepared for Harvard
by studying in
Scandinavia and
Germany during this
year and on into 1836.
"Outre-Mer" was also
published and his first
wife Mary Longfellow
died in Rotterdam.
1839: Published
"Hyperion" and "Voices
of the Night"
1841: Published
Ballads and Other
Poems and The
Children of the Lord's
Supper (translated from
Tegner)
1842: Published
Poems on Slavery and
spent many months in
Germany at Marienberg
on the Rhine where he
formed a lasting
friendship with the
German poet,
Ferdinand Freiligrath.
1843: Married Francis
Elizabeth (Fanny)
Appleton and received
the Craigie House
mansion in Cambridge
as a wedding present
where he enjoyed an
"idyllic" and "elegant"
life (Parker 629).
Published The Spanish
Student.
1847: Published
Evangeline, A Tale of
Acadie
1849: Published
Kavanagh: A Tale.
His father dies.
1850: Published The
Seaside and the
Fireside
1851: Published The
Golden Legend. His
mother dies.
1854: Resigned his
position as Harvard
professorship.
1859: Wrote The
Children's Hour.*
1861: Tragic death of
Fanny Appleton
Longfellow while
"sealing up" her
daughter's hair: A spark
or hot wax fell on
Fanny's summer dress
and a deadly fire
engulfed her.
Longfellow was resting
in a room next to where
she was and awoke
terrified. He attempted
to put out the
smothering flames but
Fanny was severely
burned and died during
the night. Longfellow
was also burned in his
attempts to save his
wife. He began to live a
"somewhat secluded
life" (Scudder xiii). He
translated Dante's
Divine Comedy.
1868-1869: Returned
to Europe for his fourth
and last time with
members of his family.
While in Europe he
received many
academic honors
including honorary
doctoral degrees from
Cambridge and
Oxford.
1880: His seventy-fifth
birthday was celebrated
throughout the nation.
1882: Published In the
Harbor. Died in
Cambridge on the
twenty-fourth of
March.
1884: His bust was
uncovered at
Westminster Abbey on
Poets' Corner.
Work
"The Children's Hour"
Between the dark and the daylight,
When the night is beginning to lower,
Comes a pause in the day's occupations,
That is known as the Children's Hour.
I hear in the chamber above me
The patter of little feet,
The sound of a door that is opened,
And voices soft and sweet.
From my study I see in the lamplight,
Descending the broad hall stair,
Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra,
And Edith with golden hair.
A whisper, and then a silence:
Yet I know by their merry eyes
They are plotting and planning together
To take me by surprise.
A sudden rush from the stairway,
A sudden raid from the hall!
By three doors left unguarded
They enter my castle wall!
They climb up into my turret
O'er the arms and back of my chair;
If I try to escape, they surround me;
They seem to be everywhere.
They almost devour me with kisses,
Their arms about me entwine,
Till I think of the Bishop of Bingen
In his Mouse-Tower on the Rhine!
Do you think, O blue-eyed banditti
Because you have scaled the wall,
Such an old mustache as I am
Is not a match for you all!
I have you fast in my fortress,
And will not let you depart,
But put you down into the dungeon
In the round-tower of my heart.
And there will I keep you forever,
Yes, forever and a day,
Till the walls shall crumble to ruin,
And moulder in dust away!
Explication
Composed in 1863
Slightly irregular trochaic trimeter with many extra unstressed
syllables
a-b-c-b, d-e-f-e, g-h-i-h, . . . rhyme scheme
Content
Form
ln. 6: "Patter of little feet"
imagery- creates a vision for the reader, actually
hearing feet
ln 18: "A sudden raid from the hall stair"
metaphor
ln 20: "They enter my castle wall"
metaphor- refers to his study
ln 25-29 "devour. . . entwine. . .banditti. . ."
conceit- their love is like an attack
ln 29: "Do you think, O bule-eyed banditti,"
vocative- addresses his children
ln 31: "Such an old mustache as I am"
synecdoche- represents himself and his age
lns 33-40 "have you fast. . .not let you depart. .
.tower of my heart. . . keep you forever. . ."
conceit- continues with the idea of being raided,
as he
maneuvers a counter-attack of his love.
"The Children's Hour" is a very touching and heart-warming poem.
Longfellow's persona is much like
Longfellow himself. The three children mentioned in lines
11 and 12 are the names of Longfellow's
daughters. The poem describes how the father and poet reserves time
each day to spend with his
children (lines 1-4). He describes in an exciting way his children
sneaking up on him ready to play.
He uses vivid detail, from their "little feet" (ln. 6), their whispers
(ln. 13), and their "merry eyes" (ln.14),
to their attack of love and affection. Longfellow creates a conceit
by comparing his children's love and
his love to a raid of affection. He is bombarded with hugs and
kisses (ln. 25-26). The persona plans
and executes a counterattack. It is not an attack of harsh words
nor demands to be left alone; rather,
he captures the children in the tower of his heart. In his heart
they will remain safe and loved forever.
He vows to love them for eternity, "forever and a day," until his death,
when the "walls shall crumble to
ruin" (ln. 37-40).
Unfamiliar Terms
Laureate- a poet granted by the British sovereign to a lifetime position
as chief poet of the kingdom; a
poet acclaimed as the most excellent; honored for excellence" (Dict...1012).
Return Turret- Small ornamented tower or tower-shaped projection on a building (Dict...1385).
Return Banditti- (Bandit) a robber, outlaw, gangster (Dict...104). http://www.geocities.com/eowilliams11