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The Poems of Longfellow
678 pages, Unknown Binding
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December 11, 2025
This volume has been the book I have been reading as my Bedtime Reading; it is a Modern Library edition (circa 1959), and when I was reading the last pages of this book last night, I had to use a nail file to cut pages (as in 2025, no one owns a paper knife). There was no introduction, and no indications of when the poems were written, so in this review I will supply some dates. And I enjoyed reading this book much more than I thought I would.
The first work is Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie (1847; I was surprised to note that the title character spends exactly one night in Cajun Louisiana before leaving again in search of her Gabriel). Next is The Courtship of Miles Standish (1858), followed by the very long The Song of Hiawatha (1855). This is followed by the collection Tales of a Wayside Inn (1863; this includes “Paul Revere’s Ride”). Voices of the Night (1839) includes the poem “The Reaper and the Flower”, a section titled Earlier Poems, and a section titled Translations of works from Spanish, French, Italian, and German. Ballads and Other Poems (1841) includes Ballads such as “The Wreck of the Hesperus” and Poems on Slavery. The Spanish Student. A Play in Three Acts (1843) is a drama. Next is The Belfry of Bruges and Other Poems (1845). The Seaside and the Fireside (1850) is followed by Miscellaneous, which include “The Village Blacksmith” (1840), “Excelsior” (1841; in the mid or late 1960s and early 1970s, one of my great-aunts would demonstrate how she could still recite this poem, having been forced to memorize it during her school days), and “The Children’s Hour” (1860).
This is quite a collection of the author’s works, though not including all of his poetry, works, and translations; and I am very happy to have read this book.
The first work is Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie (1847; I was surprised to note that the title character spends exactly one night in Cajun Louisiana before leaving again in search of her Gabriel). Next is The Courtship of Miles Standish (1858), followed by the very long The Song of Hiawatha (1855). This is followed by the collection Tales of a Wayside Inn (1863; this includes “Paul Revere’s Ride”). Voices of the Night (1839) includes the poem “The Reaper and the Flower”, a section titled Earlier Poems, and a section titled Translations of works from Spanish, French, Italian, and German. Ballads and Other Poems (1841) includes Ballads such as “The Wreck of the Hesperus” and Poems on Slavery. The Spanish Student. A Play in Three Acts (1843) is a drama. Next is The Belfry of Bruges and Other Poems (1845). The Seaside and the Fireside (1850) is followed by Miscellaneous, which include “The Village Blacksmith” (1840), “Excelsior” (1841; in the mid or late 1960s and early 1970s, one of my great-aunts would demonstrate how she could still recite this poem, having been forced to memorize it during her school days), and “The Children’s Hour” (1860).
This is quite a collection of the author’s works, though not including all of his poetry, works, and translations; and I am very happy to have read this book.
Displaying 1 of 1 review