Selected Poems

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

This collection brings together Longfellow's best and most famous poems, providing a complete overview of his versatile and multifaceted genius. All the classic Longfellow selections, including "A Psalm of Life," "The Children's Hour," and "The Day is Done," are here, as well as lesser-known but equally worthy poems, like "The Cross of Snow," a sonnet written in memory of his second wife, who died tragically in a fire. Also included, in their entirety, are his two long narrative masterpieces, Evangeline and The Courtship of Miles Standish.

One of the most popular poets who ever lived, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a marvelous storyteller. In addition, his verse expressed his deep sincerity and his uncanny ability to identify with the hearts and passions of those who read and reread his poems.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Literature, 19th Century, Fiction, American, American Classics

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1879

About the author

Extremely popular works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet, in the United States in his lifetime, include The Song of Hiawatha in 1855 and a translation from 1865 to 1867 of Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow educated. His originally wrote the "Paul Revere's Ride" and "Evangeline." From New England, he first completed work of the fireside.

Bowdoin College graduated Longefellow, who served as a professor, afterward studied in Europe, and later moved at Harvard. After a miscarriage, Mary Potter Longfellow, his first wife, died in 1835. He first collected Voices of the Night (1839) and Ballads and Other Poems (1841).

From teaching, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow retired in 1854 to focus on his writing in the headquarters of of George Washington in Cambridge, Massachusetts, during the Revolutionary War for the remainder.

Dress of Frances Appleton Longfellow, his second wife, caught fire; she then sustained burns and afterward died in 1861. After her death, Longfellow had difficulty writing and focused on from foreign languages.

Longfellow wrote musicality of many known lyrics and often presented stories of mythology and legend. He succeeded most overseas of his day. He imitated European styles and wrote too sentimentally for critics.

Reviews

[E. G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Introduction
Suggestions for Further Reading
A Note on the Text

Longer Works

--Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie (1847)

from The Song of Hiawatha (1855)
--III. Hiawatha's Childhood
--V. Hiawatha's Fasting

--The Courtship of Miles Standish (1858)

from Tales of a Wayside Inn (1863)
--The Landlord's Tale: Paul Revere's Ride
--The Theologian's Tale: Torquemada
--The Poet's Tale: The Birds of Killingworth

The New England Tragedies (1868)
--I. John Endicott
--II. Giles Corey of the Salem Farms
--Finale

--Morituri Salutamus (1875)

Shorter Lyric and Narrative Poems

from Voices of the Night (1839)
--A Psalm of Life

from Ballads and Other Poems (1841)
--The Skeleton in Armor
--The Wreck of the Hesperus
--The Village Blacksmith

from Poems on Slavery (1842)
--The Slave Singing at Midnight
--The Warning

from The Belfry of Bruges and Other Poems (1846)
--The Arsenal at Springfield
--The Occultation of Orion
--The Day Is Done
--Mezzo Cammin

from The Seaside and the Fireside (1850)
--Seaweed
--The Fire of Drift-Wood

from The Courtship of Miles Standish and Other Poems (1858)
--The Jewish Cemetery at Newport
--My Lost Youth
--The Ropewalk

from Tales of a Wayside Inn (1863)
--The Children's Hour
--Snow-Flakes

from Flower-de-Luce (1867)
--Hawthorne

from Aftermath (1873)
--Aftermath

Posthumously collected:
--Nature (1877)
--The Cross of Snow (1879)

Notes

[Scriptor Ignotus · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best works from this collection are undoubtedly "Evangeline" and "The Courtship of Miles Standish". Longfellow is often dismissed as a rather traditional and formulaic poet who played the foil to more innovative and authentically "American" writers like Whitman, Emerson, and Thoreau, but I think there's a lot to be said for a peculiar kind of creativity that can only emerge when one adheres faithfully to structure.

As clichéd and sentimental as they sometimes seem, his narrative poems have a lovely bittersweet quality to them. "Evangeline", in particular, is a wonderfully tragic meditation on the way in which our spoiled hopes, unfulfilled longings, and unconsummated loves can strengthen the capaciousness and generosity of our hearts, detaching them from the particular things they desire and causing them to swell and embrace the whole world. The tragic quality of life is like Socrates to our Alcibiades, stirring up our passions and then frustrating them, teaching us harsh lessons and redirecting our wills from the mundane to the transcendent.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ll start out my review by saying that poetry and me is like water mixing with oil. These poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow were okay for me, but I always feel that I miss the point when I read poetry. If I can obtain a feeling or see a scene the poet created in my mind’s eye, then I consider that a successful reading of a poem. Most of these I was able to do that.

Longfellow is probably best known for Paul Revere’s Ride, but some of the other notable poems in this collection for me were: A Psalm of Life, My Lost Youth, Snowflakes, The Bells of Lynn and The Cross of Snow.

Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie was also memorable for me - “Acadie” is where the name for Acadia Parish, LA came from and Evangeline Parish, LA was named after the story’s title character Evangeline. That at least created a connection for me to the story.

I read this for a Bingo reading challenge I’m doing this year, and I’m glad I chose this collection of Longfellow’s poems - the length was manageable and the poems and verse poems were palatable.

[Morgan Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

BR#3

Poems are something I never thought I would say I enjoy, but after reading a book of selected poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow my opinion on them has completely changed. The writer of the poems in this book Henry Wadsworth longfellow uses pain and sadness to make a sad thing beautiful. He uses things like death to make you realize how important and beautiful life is. I have never before wanted to read poetry because every time a teacher has made me read it I have hated it. This book has changed my view on poetry, I understood every poem and enjoyed almost all of them. I still can't believe how Mr. Longfellow managed to fit such a meaningful story into a page and a half of writing. I found this book making me really think and also working to understand where the writer was coming from.This book is 223 pages and I thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of them.
The author used setting extremely well in a poem called “Burial of the Minnisink”, I could really picture the beauty of the setting in my mind and it made me feel calm and peaceful. A quote that shows just how great the setting was described is, “ Far upward in the mellow light rose the blue hills. One cloud of white, around a far uplifted cone, In the warm blush of evening shone; an image of the silver lakes, by which the indian soul wakes. “ I loved this stanza of the poem so much, it makes me think of a gorgeous place where I would really want to be and also see the beauty of. Another poem called “The Wreck of the Hesperus”, really stood out to me, it was a very powerful poem with real tragedy and sadness. It used a very solemn tone even though it was very tragic. The author could have over described and exaggerated it but instead he used a solemn tone and it really made the poem impactful. “O father! I see a gleaming light, Oh say what may it be ?But the father answered never a word a frozen corpse was he .” Even in a stanza as intense as this one the author used very formal language instead over over exaggerating it.
In conclusion I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I would absolutely recommend it . Even for those who like myself don't like poetry I would still recommend it .

[Angelique · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume of selected poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a true delight to read. The shorter poems in the beginning of this book already blew me away with their beautiful language, and I found many poems that I want to memorize. The excerpts from The Song of Hiawatha were strange at best, but with Evangeline Longfellow won my heart. The Courtship of Miles Standish with its witty and funny tone was a nice closure for this volume. The longer poems gave women a voice and showed their intelligence and strength, which is something remarkable for a poet from the 19th century and something I really enjoyed about his poetry.

Many people shy away from reading poetry but Longfellow can be counted among the more accessible poets. I definitely recommend reading his works!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised at how much I loved reading his long narrative poetry.

[Holly Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not the biggest fan of Longfellow but I don’t dislike his work either. For me, a lot of his poetry sounds cliché or trite but I have to admit that’s probably just my modern ear. “Evangeline” has some beautiful descriptions and a lovely narrative while other pieces, such as “The Wreck of the Hesperus”, are a little flat sounding (at least to me). My favorite is likely “The Village Blacksmith” since I love the theme on time/ age as the day passes throughout the poem. All in all, Longfellow is worth a read though to modern readers his strong meter and rhyme may sounds a bit tired.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evangeline had my heart pumping! Not just because my little hometown (Natchitoches, Louisiana) is named...but because it's such a heartbreaking tragedy. Boy, does he have a command of the art of storytelling. Exquisite poetry.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I did not read this work in its entirety as only a selected some was required for class.

Now that that's out of the way, I've said it before and I'll say it again: I am not much of a poetry person. So it doesn't surprise me that, once more, I thought it to be okay.

[Bumbles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have really come to love Longfellow and this is a nice selection.

1. Mezzo Camin
2. Seaweed
3. The Fire of Driftwood

There are others I loved, but since I have mentioned them else where, I will not do so here.

[Anima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Snow-Flakes
"Out of the bosom of the Air,
Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare,
Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
Silent, and soft, and slow
Descends the snow.

Even as our cloudy fancies take
Suddenly shape in some divine expression,
Even as the troubled heart doth make
In the white countenance confession,
The troubled sky reveals
The grief it feels.

This is the poem of the air,
Slowly in silent syllables recorded;
This is the secret of despair,
Long in its cloudy bosom hoarded,
Now whispered and revealed
To wood and field"

The Fire of Drift-wood

DEVEREUX FARM, NEAR MARBLEHEAD.
"We sat within the farm-house old,
Whose windows, looking o'er the bay,
Gave to the sea-breeze damp and cold,
An easy entrance, night and day.

Not far away we saw the port,
The strange, old-fashioned, silent town,
The lighthouse, the dismantled fort,
The wooden houses, quaint and brown.

We sat and talked until the night,
Descending, filled the little room;
Our faces faded from the sight,
Our voices only broke the gloom.

We spake of many a vanished scene,
Of what we once had thought and said,
Of what had been, and might have been,
And who was changed, and who was dead;

And all that fills the hearts of friends,
When first they feel, with secret pain,
Their lives thenceforth have separate ends,
And never can be one again;

The first slight swerving of the heart,
That words are powerless to express,
And leave it still unsaid in part,
Or say it in too great excess.

The very tones in which we spake
Had something strange, I could but mark;
The leaves of memory seemed to make
A mournful rustling in the dark.

Oft died the words upon our lips,
As suddenly, from out the fire
Built of the wreck of stranded ships,
The flames would leap and then expire.

And, as their splendor flashed and failed,
We thought of wrecks upon the main,
Of ships dismasted, that were hailed
And sent no answer back again.

The windows, rattling in their frames,
The ocean, roaring up the beach,
The gusty blast, the bickering flames,
All mingled vaguely in our speech;

Until they made themselves a part
Of fancies floating through the brain,
The long-lost ventures of the heart,
That send no answers back again.

O flames that glowed! O hearts that yearned!
They were indeed too much akin,
The drift-wood fire without that burned,
The thoughts that burned and glowed within. "

[Joe Bruno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stars are for how I liked it, not how good it is. The only poem here that I knew of was "The Arrow and the Song," and till now only the first stanza. That poem is pretty good and I wrote a line from another poem in a notebook I keep for good stuff, "and departing, leave behind us footprints on the sand of time." The Courtship of Mile Standish" was pretty good too, and Hiawatha had some interesting elements.

I keep reading these renowned poets, thinking the bulk of the work will resonate with me and for the most part they never do, except a poem or two and certain lines now and again in the whole collection. I still think verse important, so I will continue to survey poets. It just seems as if there is a great deal of chaff with the wheat. I think if I knew more of structure and form of the classic poetry maybe it would seem more moving. I don't have the time or inclination to learn a great deal more though.

The only reason I read this was it was at the Goodwill for $2.24. Anything Longfellow wrote can be found online for free.

[Buffy Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this little collection from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow this morning. What inspired me to read it is Longfellow is mentioned in Prince Harry's "Spare." Although Longfellow was American, he was/is very popular "across the pond." He was the first and only American poet to be featured with a bust in the "Poet's Corner" of Westminister Abbey. Some say the only American poet that could go toe to toe with Longfellow was Edgar Allen Poe. (Since I've read almost everything by EAP, I would have to agree.) 📚
I enjoyed both "Evangeline" and "The Courtship of Miles Standish" more than I thought I would. (The Courtship of Miles Standish ends with a pretty creative twist; definitely wasn't expecting that.)
Also worth a read: Paul Revere's Ride, The Slave Singing at Midnight, and The Cross of Snow.
Longfellow also appeared in "Poetry of the Civil War" that I read last month. He was strongly opposed to slavery, which was very important as influential as Longfellow was at the time. 📚
I also appreciated this book was donated to the library by an individual. I think people should donate books more often.
It also makes me sad that books aren't checked out more than they are. This book in the 1990s/2000s was checked out about twice a year. Now that the internet has been mainstream for a whole generation I bet that's even less. Which totally supports that only 5% of people read. (So again you can set yourself apart from 95% of everyone else just by reading!) 📚

[Scottnshana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed getting reacquainted with old friends like "The Wreck of the Hesperus" and "Paul Revere's Ride", but there's also a kind of nostalgia in connecting with the poetry your parents and grandparents memorized in school. My first exposure to "The Song of Hiawatha" occurred in a Mad Magazine parody of "Apocalypse Now" with Marlon Brando reading "By the Shores of Gitche Gumee, By the Shining Big-Sea-Water..." into a microphone, when I had a subscription in my teens. It's a little more poignant in the original, I recently learned. The poet's musings on middle age in "A Psalm of Life" are also as well-received at this point in my life as any of the Philip Roth novels I've recently picked up. There are germs of environmentalism and conservation here in the midst of the Civil War (i.e., "The Birds of Killingworth") as well as some good drama to apply to modern America. "Say something; say enough to fend off death," he writes in the play "Giles Corey"--"Till this tornado of fanaticism Blows itself out." In a news cycle where people who likely have read neither Longfellow nor Arthur Miller are recklessly throwing "Witch Hunt" around, I think this line is a little easier to digest. To tie the sack shut, I think Longfellow has just as much to offer in 2018 as he did to the two generations in front of mine. Wholeheartedly recommend.

[Bahman Bahman · Rating 2 out of 5]

اگر ذهن
كه بر بدن فرماندهي مي‌كند
به گونه اي خود را فراموش كند كه انگار بر برده‌ي خود لگد مي‌زند
برده كه هرگز آن اندازه سخاوتمند نيست كه بتواند آسيب و خستگي را ببخشد
شورش مي‌كند و ستمگر را در هم مي‌كوبد

***

آرام باش اي دل غمگين!
از شِكوه بس كن؛
پشت ابرها هنوز خورشيد مي درخشد؛
سرنوشت تو همان است كه ديگران دارند.
در هر زندگي بايد بارانهايي فرو ريزد و برخي روزها تيره و حزن انگيز باشند

***

اي دلهاي كوچك كه سخت تب آلود و ناشكيبا مي تپيد و مي زنيد
با آرزوهايي سخت نيرومند و بي انتها
قلب من كه زماني بس دراز از هيجانها درخشيده و افروخته مانده
اكنون به خاكستر بدل شده
و آتشهاي خود را مي پوشاند و پنهان مي كند

***

به آينده
هرچند شيرين و دلپسند
اعتماد مكن؛
بگذار گذشته‌ي از دست رفته
به خاك سپرده شود؛ عمل كن
عمل در زمان زنده‌ي حال

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this much more than I expected! I picked up the book as part of my project to read authors elected into the Hall of Fame of Great Americans. I was skeptical that I would like Longfellow as I had vague memories of reading Hiawatha in school and not liking it (not really remembering it) - so it was a fun surprise to be entertained when I expecting the reading to be a chore.

My favorite poem in this collection is Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie. It is a long-form poem and the story is one that I didn't know at all. Because I didn't know the history of French settlers in Arcadia, the poem prompted me to look into it - so that was my first surprise in reading Longfellow. The next surprise that reading long poems is actually fun. I thought it would be tedious, but it is not - the reading is especially enjoyable when you get into the rhythm of the words.

I was disappointed with the Song of Hiawatha is not complete in this book. I wanted to read it in it's entirety and that meant reading it elsewhere (easily accomplished). Hiawatha is much better as a complete poem rather than in selections.

Having read Poe's works and his biography before reading Longfellow, I can see why Poe was jealous of him. Longfellow had the advantages in life that Poe felt he was denied. It's rewarding to get to know these figures of American literature, especially the ones I missed reading or at least appreciating when in school.

[Bernard English · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Longfellow's more famous poems, Angeline is about the deportation of Acadians from Nova Scotia because they refused to swear allegiance to the British crown. What's interesting is that as a New Englander Longfellow chose to put his nationalism above religious considerations and wrote a very sympathetically about the plight of the Catholics who suffered under the evil Brits.

And it's incredible that his Paul Revere's Ride is not better known. Whatever its poetic merits, the subject should interest even high school kids.

[D R · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. I see Harold Bloom feels Longfellow belongs in the discussion of inclusion to the Western Cannon. But all I got from his writing is cheesy Hallmark greeting cards or a Christian musician. If Longfellow was writing today, his only audience would be church gatherings or said cheesy greeting cards. No doubt he had a way with rhythms and rhymes, but damnit, he's just too boring.

[Shelby Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This ought to be required reading for anyone learning English and American history. I grew up reading Evangeline, Paul Revere’s Ride, and Courtship of Miles Standish, and reading them again as an adult has only deepened my appreciation of Longfellow’s narrative and artistic style.

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this was a long read, it included several of Longfellow's epic poems, like Hiawatha, The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere and The Courtship of Miles Standish, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed. A great collection poems.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have had this book on my shelf since I bought it when I worked at Barnes and Noble in high school. Never actually tried to read it. I wasn't able to read all the poems, but I read a good deal of it including the longer one "Evangeline" and a lot of the shorter ones too.

[Marissa | storiesinthemeadow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn’t actually the edition I’ve read from, but I didn’t feel like finding it. My collection has all of his long poems, as well as the Poems on Slavery and the Birds of Passage collections.

I love his imagery and metaphors, and everything about how his poetry reads. Definitely a favorite!

[LT · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hey Mickey, we can roast Evangeline together. :)

[Marie Carmean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love most of Longfellows works! Enjoyed reading him again.

[Muhammad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The poems were decent. Had to skip the Song of Hiawatha to save time. That should be read by itself, it's so long. The langugage is dated but it's possible to pick up the meanings.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume of poetry was an enjoyable and inspirational read. While there are many controversies surrounding Longfellow's style and motivations, it cannot be denied that his work is wonderful and crafted well.

I could not locate my favorite compilation of his work on good reads. The antique books I collect are sometimes a challenge to locate and share, but here is the information.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Selected Poems Copyright 1967 By the Peter Pauper Press of Mount Vernon, New York. Edited and with an introduction by C. Merton Babcock. Illustrations by Wendy Watson.

[Zcrowley50 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed Evangeline, and the rest was fine but that was it, just fine. I expected more.

Longfellow seems more a recorder, an historian, than an artist. Everything carefully sculpted and fit into its mold. Certainly has his place, though.

[Dayna Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful selection of Longfellow's most famous poems, both long and short, as well as two of his plays. A classic must read for all who love American poetry and those who would like to learn to love it, or at least be exposed to it.

[Zepp · Rating 4 out of 5]

The good ones are real good ones. Evangeline is thrill.
There are others, though.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hey, it's Wadsworth. Can I add to the millions of words already said about the man. Think not. Won't not. Don't not.