The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1904-02-04
A CHAT WITH A POET
THE STORY OF AN INTERESTING
EVENING WITH LONGFEIlOw.
How "Exc~lsfor." the "Wreck Of The
H~esperus" and the sold Clock 80
the stair" Came to BE wrftteo.
"The B~idge" Was Born Of sorrow.

the stair" Came to- Ne Writes.
@The Bridge" Was Born Of SORROW.
/ once wrote to the poet Longfellow
asking him To give me some o Of
the circumstances under which he
wrote The Bridget stood on the
bridge at midnight'-a poem which an
eminent English critic has called the
most sympathetic IN this language"
l received in return a cordial note from
the poet in which he said, IF you will
poIue over and pass an evening with
me ii will give me pleasure to tell 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 his Cambridge home. He
was then verging ON seventy years. In
the fullness of his experience and the
| ripeness of his fame. was shown In
to "A long. hall-like room, dimly lighted.
in which were N broad table. antique
furniture and a tall colonial clock. The
poet was there alone. he arose 20
meet me and formed a striking aud
statuesque figure, with his kindly smile
hild lOuk Whlkt a ~ hih
And so you would like to u %
something about the inspiration Of
some of my p~oems-what led me to
write them?" he said when we were
seated. We'll. you are very kind.
Il will tell you first how | came to
write the Psalm OF Life was q
young man then. | can recall the
time. 1t was a bright day. and the
trees were blooming, and felt an i'm
pulse TO write out my aim and purpose
in the world. wrote IL for myself.
/ did not intend ii for publication.
Some months afterward / was asked
for a poem by n popular magazine. l
recalled my Psalm OF Life | copied
II and sent il TO the periodical. IL saw
the light, took wings and dew over the
world. There you may see IL written
on a Japanese screen"
He pointed TO a high. richly orna-
mentcd screen which stood before q
great fireplace. He added an anecdote
which l have always regarded as .
true picture of his SOUL:
when ! was In England | was on-
ored by receiving an invitation from
the queen. AS ! was lea ving the pal
ace yard my carriage was hindered by
the crowd of vehicles. There came to
the door of the coach a noble looking
English w~orkingman.
Are you Professor LongfellowT he
said.
Il bowed.
MAY | ask. sir, IL you wrote the
psalm OF Life?"'
Il answered tina I did.
Would you be willing. sir, to take
a workingman by the handT
II extended my hand to him. He
clasped it, and never in my life have I
received a compliment which CAV me
so much satisfaction.
81 wrote Excelsior" he continued,
after receiving a letter full OF lofty
sentiments from Charles Sumner at
Washington. In one OF the sentences
occurred the word excelsior As I
dropped the letter that word again
caught my eye. | turned over the let
ter and wrote my poem. | wrote the
Wreck of the Hesperus' because, after
reading an account of the loss OF n 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
whole stanZas.
The clock in the corner OF the room"
he went on. lis not the one to which I
refer in my old Clock on the Stair
That clock stood In the country house
OF my father-in-law at Pittsfeld. among
the Berkshire hills"
The great clock in the room was beat
ing the air in the shadows as lie spoke.
l could seem TO hear ii say:
""TouJours-jsmsis!
Jamais-toujours!"
1t was these words by q French au-
thor that had suggested ~ him the
solemn refrain:
"Forever-neverl
Never-foreVer!"
Excelsior" had been set to popular
music by the Hutchinsons when the
poet me one evening the minstrel fam
lily after "A concert in Boston Music
hall. Il have he said. another poem
which | will send TO you" He did ~.
1t was the first copy OF the "Old Clock
OH the Stair One of the family set
the words 10 music.
My poem entitled The Bridge" he
said in effect, was written In sorrow.
which made me feel for the loneliness
OF others. | was n widower at the
time. and | used TO sometimes 40 over
the bridge TO Boston evenings TO pfet
friends and to return near midnight by
the same way. The way was silent
save here and there a belated footste1.
The sea rose and fell among the wood
en- piers. and there was a great furnace
on the Brighton hills whose red ligh.
was reflected by the waves. Ii was ON
such a late. solitary walk that the spir-
it of the poem came upon me. The
bridge has been greatly altered. but
the place Of il is the same HeZekiah
Butterworth in American Author.
His Economical Way.