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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline. He was the first American to translate Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy and was one of the Fireside Poets from New England.
Longfellow wrote many lyric poems known for their musicality and often presenting stories of mythology and legend. He became the most popular American poet of his day and had success overseas. He has been criticized by some, however, for imitating European styles and writing specifically for the masses.
Longfellow was born in Portland, Maine, which was then still part of Massachusetts. He studied at Bowdoin College and became a professor at Bowdoin and later at Harvard College after spending time in Europe. His first major poetry collections were Voices of the Night (1839) and Ballads and Other Poems (1841). He retired from teaching in 1854 to focus on his writing, and he lived the remainder of his life in the Revolutionary War headquarters of George Washington in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His first wife Mary Potter died in 1835 after a miscarriage. His second wife Frances Appleton died in 1861 after sustaining burns when her dress caught fire. After her death, Longfellow had difficulty writing poetry for a time and focused on translating works from foreign languages. He died in 1882.
Much of Longfellow's work is categorized as lyric poetry, but he experimented with many forms, including hexameter and free verse. His published poetry shows great versatility, using anapestic and trochaic forms, blank verse, heroic couplets, ballads, and sonnets. Typically, he would carefully consider the subject of his poetic ideas for a long time before deciding on the right metrical form for it. Much of his work is recognized for its melodious musicality. As he says, "what a writer asks of his reader is not so much to like as to listen".
Books by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Hiawatha
The Song of Hiawatha is an 1855 epic poem in trochaic tetrameter by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow which features Native American characters. The epic relates the fictional adventures of an Ojibwe warrior named Hiawatha and the tragedy of his love for Mi...
Evangeline
Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie is an epic poem by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, written in English and published in 1847. The poem follows an Acadian girl named Evangeline and her search for her lost love Gabriel, set during the time of...
The Courtship of Miles Standish
The Courtship of Miles Standish is an 1858 narrative poem by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow about the early days of Plymouth Colony, the colonial settlement established in America by the Mayflower Pilgrims.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Collection Vol. 001
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and "Evangeline". He was also the first American to translate Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy and was one of the five members of the g...
Greetings from Longfellow
This is a wonderful selection of six of the greatest works from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, unquestionably one of the world's most celebrated poets. Despite its small size, the book covers a wide spectrum of the poet's thoughts and ideas, from those...
Selections from Longfellow
It showcases Longfellow's remarkable talent for capturing the essence of American life and history through his poetry. His works are characterized by their vivid imagery, poignant themes, and lyrical beauty, which have made them enduring favorites am...
The Slave In The Dismal Swamp
In the dark and dangerous Dismal Swamp, a lone fugitive slave crouches in the reeds, hunted by his former masters. The Slave in the Dismal Swamp by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is a powerful poem that tells the story of a runaway slave who seeks refug...
Village Blacksmith
LibriVox volunteers bring you eleven different recordings of The Village Blacksmith, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This was the weekly poetry project for the week of October 1st, 2006.
Christmas Bells
LibriVox volunteers bring you nine different recordings of Christmas Bells, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This was the weekly poetry project for the week of December 24th, 2006.
Song of Hiawatha
I sing the Song of Hiawatha, Brave of heart and strong of arm. Daughter's son of old Nokomis, Fathered by the harsh West Wind. With its regular, beating rhythm, the Song of Hiawatha has often been parodied, but in truth, it is a powerful, emotional...
Tales of a Wayside Inn
Mostly a collection of story-telling poems told by a group of friends in a tavern late one night. "Tales" includes the famous Paul Revere's ride, together with poems of many tales, countries and styles. (Summary by Peter Yearsley)
Snow-Flakes
LibriVox volunteers bring you 21 recordings of Snow-Flakes by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This was the Weekly Poetry project for December 20th, 2009.
Reaper And The Flowers
LibriVox volunteers bring you 25 recordings of The Reaper And The Flowers by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for April 8, 2012.Longfellow predominantly wrote lyric poems which are known for their musicality and whi...
Travels by the Fireside
LibriVox volunteers bring you 22 recordings of Travels by the Fireside by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for May 6, 2012.Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator. He predominantly wrote lyric p...
Devil's Bridge
Taken from Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes, Switzerland and Austria: Vol. XVI, edited by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. - Summary by David Lawrence
Wreck of the Hesperus
LibriVox volunteers bring you ten recordings of "The Wreck of the Hesperus” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the Fortnightly Poem for August 31, 2014. May we each be spared from the wreck of pride on the reef of Norman's Woe. (Summary by MaryAnn).
Poems on Slavery
This is a short volume of abolitionist poetry by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, first published in 1842. As Wikipedia notes, Longfellow himself was not entirely satisfied with his work: "However, as Longfellow himself wrote, the poems were 'so mild that...
Voices Of The Night - And Other Poems
Longfellow's first collection of early poems, published in 1895, with a short biography by the editor, a chronological list of his works, plus analysis and commentary on Longfellow's themes, style, and talent, by various authors. ( Michele Fry)
Psalm Of Life
LibriVox volunteers bring you 22 recordings of A Psalm Of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for February 3, 2019. ------ This poem was first published in the October 1838 issue of The Knickerbocker, a New...
Endymion
LibriVox volunteers bring you 20 recordings of Endymion by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for March 3, 2019. ------ In classical mythology, Endymion was a young man who, while sleeping in the mountains, was un...
Castle-Builder
LibriVox volunteers bring you 20 recordings of The Castle-Builder by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This was the Weekly Poetry project for March 3, 2019. ------ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul R...
Broken Oar
LibriVox volunteers bring you 25 recordings of The Broken Oar by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow . This was the Weekly Poetry project for May 10, 2020. ------ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's...
Shadow
LibriVox volunteers bring you 21 recordings of The Shadow BY Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This was the Weekly Poetry project for September 27, 2020. ------ This poem is taken from The Complete Poetical Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow by Longfe...
Nature
LibriVox volunteers bring you 25 recordings of Nature, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This was the Weekly Poetry project for June 20th, 2021. ------ This nostalgic poem says a lot in a few words -- masterfully comparing a mother putting her child...
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