Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-01-08
A CHAT WITH A POET
THE STORY OF AN INTERESTING
eVEN,k1 WITH LONGFSLlOW.
How -ExceIsior." the "Wreck of the
fIesperus and the "Old Clock OF
the stair" Came to BE Written.
"Ihe Bridge" Was Born of sorrow.


| once wrote to the poet LongfeLlow
asking hin 10 give me seine account oi
TIE circumstances under winch LIE
wrote The Bridge''-'I stood Oh the
bridge ut milnis sAta-a poem which an
eminent English critic has called tie
most sympathetic III this language.
| ! received in return d cordial note from
| the poet in which he said. III You VIII
come ever anu pass an eyen.hg WIN
/ me il Wi! give ue pleasure to tell you
| the history # the poem ana also oil ally
Df Iu% l,oti.s that may interest you.
a few evenings later found ne at tI4e
| I,0{tS door at his Cambridge home. he
! Nis fi.t.. yersing on seventy years. III
| tie t...ileSs Ct Lis experience ana TIE
| ;,Benp>> IF lis fame. | was shown IN
| to y long. hA!I-like room. dimly lighted
in wA.ch were d broad table. antique
| furniture and a tall ceioni;ti clock. He
| poet MAS tLere alone. He arose 10
meet ine and formed Il striking ahd
statues, tue figure. with lis Hilla!y sn-le
aAa .eHg White l5aii. and beard.
".4Ht so yo1 would Ike 70 know
| something ahout the Inspiration OF
so!ac OF nly poems-what led me to
write Them lie said when We Were
scs.tnd "Wol. you are very sind.
Il Viii tell you first Low came to
u.r.te tie Psalm of Life. | ""s
I,t.u= man then. can recall the
tlns1 II Was d bright day, and the
trecs were blooming and felt an I'M
pulse to write out NY aim and purpose
IN the world wrote it for l4y>ef.
did not intend it for publication.
Some months afterWard WAS asked
.ar d FaelH by Il popular magazine.
recalled my Psalm of Life copied
L ard sent I % tie pefiodical 1t saw
the light took wings and flew over the
Uortd There YOU may see it written
Oh Il Japanese screen.
He pointed to a high. richly orna-
Mc,.tcd screen Which stood before
great fireplace. He added an anecdote
which | have always regarded as a
true picture Of his soul:
Wien | was in England was hon
o"ed by receiving an invitation from
tie queen. As | was leaving the pal
;sc;- y#rd luy carriage was hindered by
the crowd of vehicles. There came to
the door of the coach noble looking
English workingman.
Are YOU Professor Longfellow| he
said
II bowed
May | ask. sir, If you wrote the
psalm of Life%'
Il answered that did.
Would you be willing, sir, to take
q workingnan by the hand?'
II extended my hand to him. he
clasped it. and never in my life have l
received a compliment which gave me
SO much satisfaction.
-. wrote Excelsior" he continued, |
after receiving letter full of lofty
sentiments from Charles Sumner at
Washington. In one Of the sentences
occurred the word excelsior AS
dropped the letter that word again |
caught my eye. l turned over the let
ter and wrote my poem. wrote the |
Wreck of tie Hesperus' because, after !
reading an account Of the loss of part |
Of the Gloucester fishing feet in an |
autumn storm. met the words Nor !
mans Woe retired for the night aft
er reading the report of the DISASTER
but the scene haunted me. | arose to |
write. and the poem came to me in |
~ ole s."t2:>s
r Ae cock in the corner of the r10in" |
l.e went on. is not the one to which |
e, n my odd Clogi, On tl4:' stair
l;.t Go ! stood i. In roua.:N louise |
Of my fathcr=in-l"w at Pittstie!3 among
jl5e Berkshire h;lIs.
The great cock ia the roo.u H-&s heat
Ia the Ill. in the shadows as le spoke
could seel.! % hear il say:
''l'. ii rs i,..97ais!
j. .aa.s5-tclJ }rs!'
1t was these words by French au-
dior that ad suggested to him the
solemn refrain
"I'oreHer-never!
NeHer-f0rcVer."
Excelsior" had been set to ponuiar
music by the Hutchinsons Whett tie
poet met one evening the minstrel tam
lily after "A concert in Boston Music
hall. II have he said, another poem
which Will send to you" He did SO
1t was the first copy of the "Old Clock
on the Stair" One of the family set
the words TO music.
My poem entitled The Bridge. " he
said in effect. was written in sorrow.
which made me feel for the loneliness
OF others. | WAS Il wdower at IL.
time. and used TO sometimes go over
the br.dSe to Boston evenings TO meet
friends and to return near midnight nv