Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-08-14
MIR. LONGFELLOW'B PLAGIARISM
or THE PSALM OF LTFE.-

DOme uOHlHS ago. III u blleA NHibOi toA
ailusion to LobgfelIow's translation Of
Dante's DiriRa Comrnedia, we incidentally
alluded to the fact that Mr.. LongfelloW had
stolen the "Psalm Of Life" from an old
poet, who wrote perhaps before he was born.
This remark called forth letter from
gentleman residing in Knoxville, but
native of the Hub of the Universe" ask
ing for our authority for the charge Of pla-
giarism in reference 10 the Psalm sOf
Life" We regret that we have mislaid
the letter and forgotten the name of the
author, as we designed publishing it in con
nection with our reply. That the most ar
dent admirers of Mr.. Longfellow's muse
admit that he is a most inimitable copyist
and adaptor of other mems ideas no one
acquainted with our literature will deny.
His perfect acquaintance with the litera-
lures Of the classic ages Of Pericles and
Virgil; his home-like familiarity with the
genius Of Italian learning, under the in
SEPARATION Of Dante as manifested in his
recen. translation Of that world renowned
poem, DiuRa Commedid; his complete
mastery of the learning of the Elizabethan
age of English literature, and his vast re-
searches into the archaeological legends Of
Cells and Norsemen, afford him the grand
est field for plagiarism, with but little dam
ger of detection.
Every one remembers the familiar lines
of Mr.. Longfellow, in his psalm Of
Life :"
Art is long and time is fieeting,
And our hearts though stout and brave,
Still like mufied drums are beating
Funeral marches TO the grave"
The idea cOuched in this verse is most
beautifully expressed in Hippocrates' intro
duction 10 his aphorisms written centuries
before Mr.. Longiellow was born. Hippo
crates says: ." Life is short," Art is long"
The occasion Aeeting," Experience
falacious and judgment defective" Those
wishing to read this in the Greek language,
can find it by reference to Hippocrates In
PRODUCTION TO his "AphOrisms'
By reference TO Henry Headley's Sc.
lect Beauties Of Ancient English Poetry,n
published in 1870 there will be found a
poem, written by Henry King, Bishop Of
Chichester, on the death of his wife 1t
has a wonderful similarity, to say nothing
more, 10 the verse of Mr.. Longfellow we
have just quoted above. That our readers
may have the benefit Of the comparison we
will place them in juxtaposidon. King
says:
Bat hGrki n,v pulse, like soft drum
Beats my approach-tels thee / come.
And slow, however my marches be,
l shall at last sit down by thee
Longfellow says:
And our hearts; though stout and brave,
Still tte migblcd drums are beating
Funeral marches to the grave"
When it is remembered that King was
following his wife to the grave at the time
be wrote this poem, the meaning Of the
word Marches" in each quotation will
be seen to be identical.
The editor of the North British ReUielC, a
most accomplished scholar and critic, in a
recent article on "The characteristics of
American Literature" thus alludes to Mr..
Longfellow: " A few words from an old
French author give him (Longfellow) the
burden Of the old Clock on the Stair a
leaf out of Mather's Maqnalio Christi is
rhymed into The Phantom Ship; the
ballad of the Count Analdos sets him
dreaming over the Secrets of the Sea-
a verse Of Euripides is the overture to his
Voices of the Night; te0 lines from
Goethe gather up The essence Of the Psalm of
Life
These are some Of the plagiarisms of Mr.
LOngiellow. We might mention his Hi
awatha," which was criticised so elabor-
ately by the scholarly pen of Schoolcrait.
Also, his Midnight Mass for the Dying
Year" which is rich MOSAIC of the death
scene Of Cordelia, in Lear" inwoven
with rare, poetic art, into the solemn miserere
of Tennyson, in his Death Of the Old
Year" We refer our readers to the close
analogy of the two poems. If our object
vas to establish the fact that Mr. Longfel-
low has spent the most Of his life in literary
piracy, we could quote many more Of his
poems which are his only by virtue of
having changed the rhythm and metrieal
flow of the verses.