Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1904-01-06
4 CHAT WITH A POET
The STORY or AN INTERESTING
EVENING WITH LoNoFELlow.

How "Exeeisior,' the swreck of the
Hesperus- and the s.Oid Clock ON
the stair Came 40 he written.
-Th~ bridge" Was Dorm OF SORROW.
once wrote TO the poet Longfellow
asking him TO give me some account OF
the circumstances under which he
wrote The Bridge stood on the
bridge at midnight'-a poem which an
eminent English critic has called 1.-The
most sympathetic In this language"
/ received in return a cordial note from
the poet In which he said, IF you will
come over and pass an evening with
me II will give me pleasure TO tel you
the history OF the poem and also OF any
OF my poems that may interest you"
a few evenings later found me at the
poets door at bis Cambridge home He
was then verglng on seventy years. in
the fullness OF his experience and the
ripeness of his fame. | was shown in
TO long. hall-like room. dimly lighted.
In which were a broad table. antique
furniture and tall colonial clock The
poet was there alone. He arose to
meet me and formed a striking and
and long white hair and beard
And so you would like 20 know
something about the inspiration OF
some OF NJ poems-what led me to
write them:' he said when we We're
seated We'll. you are very kind
Il VIII tell YOU first how | came to
write the Psalm OF Life was
young man then can recall the
time. II WAS a bright day. and the
trees were blooming. and felt an inn
pulse 20 write out my aim and purpose
in the world. | wrote il FOR myself.
did not intend il for publication.
Some months afterward I was asked
FOR poem by popular magazine.
recalled my Psalm OF Life | copied
/ IL and sent IL TO the periodical II saw
the light. took wings and flew over the
world. There YOU may $50, it written
on Japanese screen
lie pointed to high. richly orna-
mentcd screen which stood before a
great fireplace. lie added an anecdote
which l have always regarded -as a
/ true picture OF his soul:
When l was in England was hon
ored by receiving an invitation from
I the queen. As l was leaving the pal
ace yard my carriage was hindered by
J the crowd Of vehicles. There came TO
/ the door of the coach noble looking
/ English workingman
Are you Professor Longfellowg' he
said
Il bowed.
May I ask. sir if you wrote the
Psalm Of LifeT"'
Il answered that did.
Would you be willing. sir, to take
workingman 10y the handT
Il extended my hand TO him. He
| clasped it, and never i'm my life have
received compliment which gave me
so much satisfaction.
Il wrote Excelsior" he continued.
after receiving a letter full Of lofty
sentiments from Charles Sumner at
Washington. I'm one OF the sentences
occurred the word excelsior As
/ dropped the letter that word again
caught my eye. I turned over the let
/ ter and wrote my poem I wrote the
/ Wreck OF the HeSperus' because. after
/ reading an account OF the loss OF a part
OF the Gloucester fishing fleet I'm an
/ autumn storm, | met the words Nor
mans Woe l retired for the night aft
or reading the report OF the disaster
/ but the scene haunted me. l arose TO
write. and the poem came TO me in
whole stanzas
The clock in the corner Of the room. -"
he went on, lis not the one 10 which I
refer in my old Clock ON the Stair
! That clock stood in the country house
OF my fatherin-law at Pittsfeld. among
\ the Berkshire hills"
/ The great clock i'm the room was beat
I Ing the air I'm the shadows rs he spoke.
l could seem 10 hear il say:
"Toujours-jamais
JamaiS-touj ourStf
/ IL was these words by a French au-
thor that had suggested 10 him the
solemn refrain:
"Forever-ncvcr.
Nevcr-forcVer."
Excelsior" had been set To popular
music by the Hutchinsons when the
poet met one evening the minstrel fam
/ lily after Il concert in Boston Music
hall. Il have" he said. another poem
which / Will send To you" He did 50.
Ii was the first copy of the old Clock
on the Stair" One of the family set
the words 10 music.
My poem entitled The Bridge" lac
said in effect. was written i'm sorrow.
which made ne feel for the loneliness
of others. was widowcr AT the
time. ard | used To sometimes 20 over
/ the bridge To Boston evenings TO meet
| friends and To return near midnight by
the same way. The way was silent
save here and there n belated fOotStep.
The sea rose ana fell among the wood
en- piers, and there was a great furnace
on the Brighton hills whose red light
was reflected 10y the waves IL was on
such late, solitary walk that the Spir-
II OF the poem came upon me. The
bridge has been greatly altered. hut
the place Of il is the ame."-Hezekiah
Butterworth i'm American Author.