Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1904-01-07
"A CHAT WITH A pOEI
THE STORY OF AN INTERESTING
EVENING WITH LONGFELlOW.
How Excelsior" the
Hespcrus' and It's
the Stair" Came
"The BriGge' IVA

aShllS MN 10 EtNt AAAtI e. Ia II. sANNOAA.G "a
the circumstances under which he
wrote The Bridget stood on the
bridge ut midnight poem which an
eminent English critic has called I Ii
most sympathetic in this language.
l received in return Il cordial note from
the poet in which he said. If you will
come over and pass an evening with
me It viii give me pleasure 10 tell you
the history of the poem and also of N
OF my poems that may interest you.
A few evenings later found me at the
poets door at his Cambridge home. He
was then yerging 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 Il broad table, antique
furniture and a tall colonial clock. The
poet was there alone. He arose to
meet me and formed a striking inc
s~tatuesque figure. with his kindly smile
and long white hair and beard.
And so you would like To know
something about the inspiration or
some of my poems-what led me to-
write them?" he said when we were
seated. We'll. you are very kind.
II will tell you first how | came TO
write the Psalm of Life ! was a
young man then. | can recall the
time. 1t was Il bright day, and the
trees were blooming, and | felt an inn
pulse TO write out my aim and purpose
in the world. | wrote it for myself.
/ did not intend ii for publication.
Some months afterward | was asked
for II poem by Il popular magazine. |
recalled my Psalm Of Life | copied
it and sent il To the periodical. 1t saw
the light. took wings and fcw over the
world. There you may see 1t written
on Il Japanese screen"
He pointed 10 n high. richly orna-
mented screen which stood before a
great fireplace, He added an anecdotc
which | have always regarded as II
true picture Of his soul:
when ! was in England was hon
ored by receiving an invitation from
the queen. As | was leaving 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 ~wort.inginan.
"'Are you Professor LongfellowT he
said.
IL bowed.
"'AIay | ask. sir. II you wrote the
psalm of Life:"'
IL answered that ! did.
"'WouId you be willing, sir. to take
q workingman by the handf
~ extended my hand 10 him. He
claspcd II, and never In my life have |
received II compliment which gave me
30 much satisfaction.
~ wrote Excelsior" he continued.
"after receiving II letter full! Of lofty
sentiments from Charles Sumner at
Washington. In One of the sentences
occurred tie word excelsior AS 1
caught my exc. | turned over the let
ter and 2 my poem. wrote the
Wreck OF the %iIcsperus' because. after
reading an recount of the loss of n part
OF The Gloucester fisiiing fleet in an
autumn storm. | met the words Nor
| mans woe | retired for the night aft
err reading tie report of the disaster.
bur the scene haunted me-. | arose TO
write. and The poem came to me in
whole stanzas.
''rhe 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
Inat clock stood III rnc country iiot,c
of my father-in-law at pittsiield. among
the Berkshire hills
The great clock in the room was beat
ing the air in the shadows as lie spoke.
4 could seem to hear it say:
"Toujodrs-jamaisl
Jamais-toujoursi"
1t was these words by q French au-
thor that had suggested to him the
solemn refrain:
"Forever-aeveri
Aevcr@fcrcvert'
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. 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 10 music.
my poem entitled The Bridge. he
said in effect, was written in sorrow,
which made me feel for the loneliness
of others. l was II widower ut the
time, and / used TO sometimes go over
the bridge TO Boston evenings to meet
friends and 10 return near midnight by
the same way. The way was silent
save here and there a belated footstep.
The sea rose and fell among the wood
en- piers. and there was a great furnace
on the Brighton hills whose red light
was reflected by the waves. 1t was on
such a late, solitary walk that the spir-
1t of the poem came upon me. The
bridge has been greatly altered, but
the place of 1t is the same."-Hezekiah
Busterworth in American Author.