His face is like the tan. His brow is wet with honest sweat. The sights and sounds of the smithy and the character of the smith Longfellow describes in his classic poem, The Village Blacksmith, are probably as true today as they were almost 200 years ago. There are still the 'flaming forge' and the roar of the air raising the temperature of a forge fire. Children young and old will still look in the open door with wonder and watch a smith shape a piece of iron into something not imaginable before.
Smiths still work long hard hours.
They still use the basics of our world, fire, air and water to change the shape of that seemingly immovable and very common element on earth, iron. These people are continuing an art and craft that began many thousands of years ago. It is a craft upon which all other crafts and societies depended to produce the tools needed to shape their cultures. The biggest difference between today's smith and Longfellow's smith is that some may object to being portrayed in such a masculine manner. Women are picking up the hammer more and more and are contributing to the art and craft of blacksmithing.