Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-04-21
Longfellow and His Poetry.
THE ORIGIN OF SOME OF HIS POEMS.

THE ORIGIN OF SOME OF HIS POEMS.
The late James T. Fields, writing about
the late Henry W. Longfellow, said:
''You must look only to Shakespeare for
larger stock of the currency of thought
than Longfellow's, for he is quoted in
Westminster Palace, in the British Par
lament and In all the pulpits Of England.
1t is because he humaniZes whatever he
touches that his Tyre has moi hing alien to
any soil. have heard him quoted by an
Armenian monk with cowl and sung at
camp-meetings on the hills of New Hamp
shire.
GAS happen to know of the birth of
many of Longfellow's poems. let me d.
vulge to you few of their secrets. The
Psalm of Life came into existence on a
bright summer morning, in July, 1888, In
Cambridge, as the poet sat between two
windows, at small table in the corner Of
his chamber. 1t was verse from his in
most heart, and he kept it unpublished for
a long time. It expressed his own feeling
at the time, when recovering from a deep
affection, and he had it in his own heart
for many months. The poem of 'The
Reaper, DEATH came without effort. crys
talized into his mind. The Light Of the
Stars was composed on serene and beau
tiful evening, exactly suggestive OF the
poem. The 'Wreck Of the Hesperus' was
written the night after violent storm
had occurred, and as the poet sat smoking
his pipe the Hesperus came sailing into
his mind. He went to bed. but could not
sleep, and wrote the celebrated verses. It
hardly caused him an effort, but flowed on
without let or hindrance. On summer
afternoon in 1919, as he was riding on the
beach, The Skeleton in Armor' rose as
out of the deep before him and would not
be laid.
Zone of the best known of all of Long
fellows shorter poems is Excelsior.
That one word happened to catch his eye
one autumn eve in 1871, on torn piece of
newspaper, and straightway his imagina-
ton took fire at it. Taking up piece of
letter received that day from Charles
Sumner, he crowded it with verses. AS
first written down Excelsior differs from
the perfected and published version, but
it shows rush and glow worthy of its
author. The story 'Evangellne' was first
suggested to Hawthorne by friend who
wished him to found a romance on It,
Hawthorne did not quite coincide with
the idea, and he handed 1t over to Long
fellow, who saw in it all the elements of a
deep and tender idyl."
All his labors were congenial. He had
good health, competence. troops of friends
and the foretaste of universal fame. His
home, the historic headquarters of Gener-
al Washington, was all that man of taste
or a warm-hearted parent and husband
could desire. But to this paradise came
one terrible affection in July, 1861. Mrs.
Longfeilow, while seated at the library
table amusing two of her children, acct
dentally touched piece Of lighted paper
with her dress, which was Immediately in
flames. Mr.. Longfellow sprang to her
rescue, but she was so badly burned that
she died the next day. The poet visibly
aged under this grievons stroke. Of this
Their Homes" writes:
''He has known poignant sorrow. Death
has entered his home and taken from it
his dearest. That this, a sorrow ever
abiding, is one from which in a sense, he
will never recover the years have proved.
His melancholy is but dimly seen, like q
smoke curling upward from blazing fire.
Yet it is present always, yelling his cheer
fitness and saddening his smiles'
II never heard him make but one allu.
sion to the great grief of his life,' said an
intimate friend. eve were speaking of
Sehlller's fine poem. The Ring of Poly
crates He said: 1t was just so with
me. I was too happy. might fancy the
gods envied if 1 could fancy heather
GODS"
1.-The old "Craigie House, which was
Mr.. Longfellow's home in Cambridge, was
rich in associations. 1t was built midway
in the last century by gentleman of fam
lily and distinction, Col. John Vassal,
whose gravestone in Cambridge bears up
On it a sculptured goblet and sun. After
the Revolutionary war the house was sold
to one Thomas Tracy, who appears to
have been a sort of American Vathek, en-
u'ating as far as possible in an unconge-
NAL clima the magnificent doings of the
Eastern Prince. With the passing of his
wealth, clouds gathered about the old
house. We hear of it no more until it
came into the hands of the last owner save
one, Andrew Craigie. The expenses it
entailed ruined him. Necessity obliged
him to part with all save eight of the 200
acres originally included in the estate, and
after his death Mrs. Craigie was forced to
let lodgings to the youth of Harvard, pig
mics all to her, though to us such intellec-
tual giants as Everett, Worcester, Sparks
and Longfellow were among them. OF
the reduced gentlewoman some curious
stories are told. On one occasion her
young poet lodger, entering her parlor in
the morning, found her sitting by the open
window, through which innumerable
cankerworms had crawlsd from the trees.
and hung in little writhing festoons from
the white turban on her head. Her visi-
tor, surprised and shocked, asked if she
could do nothing to destroy the worms.
Raising her eyes from the book she sat
calmly reading. like Indifference on a
monument, she said. in tones of solemn
rebuke; "Young man, have not our fellow
worms as good right to live as we?"-an
answer which throws "UncIe Toby 81
go, little fly" quite in the shade. In
1s43 the house was bought by Mr.. Long
fellow, and from that time, with tender
love and reverent care. he has adorned and
perfected it. The house is set back from
the road behind a lilac hedge, blossoming