It was first published in the January 1861 issue of The Atlantic Monthly. In 1861, a house fire killed his wife, Fanny, and that same year, the country was plunged into the Civil War. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - 1807-1882 Between the dark and the daylight, When the night is beginning to lower, Comes a pause in the day's occupations, That is known as the Children's Hour. In "Nature", for example, death is depicted as bedtime for a cranky child. [17], He pursued his literary goals by submitting poetry and prose to various newspapers and magazines, partly due to encouragement from Professor Thomas Cogswell Upham. He was one of the most successful third-party candidates in American history. 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. Longfellow rarely wrote on current subjects and seemed detached from contemporary American concerns. Selections from American poetry, with special reference to Poe, Longfellow, Lowell and Whittier (English) (as Editor) Carington, Whately. [95] As he says, "what a writer asks of his reader is not so much to like as to listen". The trustees raised his salary to $800 with an additional $100 to serve as the college's librarian, a post which required one hour of work per day. For the soul is dead that slumbers, And things are not what they seem. [111], Fellow Portland, Maine native John Neal published the first substantial praise of Longfellow's work. [120] John Greenleaf Whittier suggested that it was this massive correspondence which led to Longfellow's death: "My friend Longfellow was driven to death by these incessant demands". Longfellow had become one of the first American celebrities and was popular in Europe. Like “A star falls from the sky and into your hands. [123] He wrote that Longfellow was "a determined imitator and a dextrous adapter of the ideas of other people",[122] specifically Alfred, Lord Tennyson. [4] He was named after his mother's brother Henry Wadsworth, a Navy lieutenant who had died three years earlier at the Battle of Tripoli. [27] Irving encouraged the young Longfellow to pursue writing. For the actor, see, "Longfellow" redirects here. The lady says she will not! [121], Contemporaneous writer Edgar Allan Poe wrote to Longfellow in May 1841 of his "fervent admiration which [your] genius has inspired in me" and later called him "unquestionably the best poet in America". One of his best-known essays is "Self-Reliance.”, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was a famed 19th-century French painter and poster artist known for works like 'The Streetwalker' and 'At the Moulin Rouge.'. [16] When Longfellow graduated from Bowdoin, he was ranked fourth in the class and had been elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Due to budget cuts, he covered many of the teaching positions himself. Henry Thomas is an American actor best known for his role as Elliott in 'E.T. ', Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a famed 19th-century scholar, novelist and poet, known for works like 'Voices of the Night,' 'Evangeline' and 'The Song of Hiawatha.'. [133] An editor of the Boston Evening Transcript wrote in 1846, "Whatever the miserable envy of trashy criticism may write against Longfellow, one thing is most certain, no American poet is more read".[134]. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! [101] Many of the metaphors that he used in his poetry came from legends, mythology, and literature. In a word, we want a national literature altogether shaggy and unshorn, that shall shake the earth, like a herd of buffaloes thundering over the prairies. [94] Much of his work is recognized for its melodious musicality. [50] He became part of the local social scene, creating a group of friends who called themselves the Five of Clubs. Poems about life struggles by famous … Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (born February 27, 1807 – died March 24, 1882) was an American poet of the Romantic period. Members included Cornelius Conway Felton, George Stillman Hillard, and Charles Sumner; Sumner became Longfellow's closest friend over the next 30 years. Caritat, Jean-Antoine-Nicolas de, marquis de Condorcet. In addition to teaching, he published his first book Outre-Mer: A Pilgrimage Beyond the Sea, a collection of travel essays on his European experience. [139] He had difficulty coping with the death of his second wife. Longfellow’s popularity seemed to grow, as did his collection of works. [73] Longfellow's youngest daughter Annie explained the story differently some 50 years later, claiming that there had been no candle or wax but that the fire had started from a self-lighting match that had fallen on the floor. [106] He encouraged and supported other translators, as well. ― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow tags: books, learning, love, serenity. Longfellow was an excellent student, showing proficiency in foreign languages. Notable Biographies: A-An, An-Ba, Ba-Be, Be-Br, Br-Ca, Ca-Ch, Ch-Co, Co-Da, De-Du, Du-Fi, Fi-Gi, Gi-He, He-Ho, Ho-Jo, Jo-Ki, Ki-Lo, Lo-Ma, Ma-Mo, Mo-Ni, Ni-Pe, Pe-Pu, Pu-Ro, Ro-Sc, Sc-St, St-Tr, Tu-We, and We-Z. Longfellow began publishing his poetry in 1839, including the collection Voices of the Night, his debut book of poetry. He spent much of his summers as a child at his grandfather Peleg's farm in Hiram, Maine. [47] The bulk of Voices of the Night was translations, but he included nine original poems and seven poems that he had written as a teenager. [138] In reality, his life was much more difficult than was assumed. [68] In 1854, he retired from Harvard,[69] devoting himself entirely to writing. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline. Always Found Very. [96], As a very private man, Longfellow did not often add autobiographical elements to his poetry. [102] He was inspired, for example, by Norse mythology for "The Skeleton in Armor" and by Finnish legends for The Song of Hiawatha.[103]. [98] His memorial poem to her was the sonnet "The Cross of Snow" and was not published in his lifetime. [141] Children adored him; "The Village Blacksmith"'s "spreading chestnut-tree" was cut down and the children of Cambridge had it converted into an armchair which they presented to him. [50] Poet John Greenleaf Whittier said that Longfellow's poetry illustrated "the careful moulding by which art attains the graceful ease and chaste simplicity of nature". In the fall of 1822, 15 year-old Longfellow enrolled at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, along with his brother Stephen. [82] By 1868, Longfellow's annual income was over $48,000. I say she shall! His first wife Mary Potter died in 1835 after a miscarriage. "[104] A London critic in the London Quarterly Review, however, condemned all American poetry—"with two or three exceptions, there is not a poet of mark in the whole union"—but he singled out Longfellow as one of those exceptions. Longfellow was born in Portland, Maine, which was then still part of Massachusetts. An apocryphal story claims that college trustee Benjamin Orr had been impressed by Longfellow's translation of Horace and hired him under the condition that he travel to Europe to study French, Spanish, and Italian. I do not believe that I was born for such a lot. [6], Longfellow was descended from English colonists who settled in New England in the early 1600s. He was also known for his translation of Dante’s The Divine Comedy. The most popular famous poems about life's struggles and lessons by famous poets from throughout history. Upon graduation, in 1825, he was offered a position to teach modern languages at Bowdoin, but on the condition that he first travel to Europe, at his own expense, to research the languages. Billy the Kid was a late 19th-century thief and gunfighter. His last few years were spent translating the poetry of Michelangelo. [80] The full three-volume translation was published in the spring of 1867, but Longfellow continued to revise it. Let the rain sing you a lullaby. [100] He often used allegory in his work. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a Harvard scholar versed in several European languages. [105], He was important as a translator; his translation of Dante became a required possession for those who wanted to be a part of high culture. [25] While overseas, he learned French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and German, mostly without formal instruction. [75] Longfellow had burned himself while trying to save her, badly enough that he was unable to attend her funeral. Childhood Know Why. Life is earnest! After seven years, they married in 1843 and would go on to have six children. Scholars generally regard the work as autobiographical, reflecting the translator as an aging artist facing his impending death. [36] Longfellow published several nonfiction and fiction prose pieces in 1833 inspired by Irving, including "The Indian Summer" and "The Bald Eagle". In his years there, he earned a reputation as being very studious and became fluent in Latin. "[146], "Henry Wadsworth" redirects here. [56] After returning, he published the play The Spanish Student in 1842, reflecting his memories from his time in Spain in the 1820s. [38] There, he further studied German as well as Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, and Icelandic. Holmes was the alias of one of America's first serial killers. [58] A critic for The Dial agreed, calling it "the thinnest of all Mr. Longfellow's thin books; spirited and polished like its forerunners; but the topic would warrant a deeper tone". The Song of Hiawatha 1855. [39] In October 1835, his wife Mary had a miscarriage during the trip, about six months into her pregnancy. [99] Much of his poetry imparts cultural and moral values, particularly focused on life being more than material pursuits. There he began courting Appleton's daughter Frances "Fanny" Appleton. American businessman Ross Perot ran for the U.S. presidency as an independent candidate twice, in 1992 and 1996. Longfellow intended the anthology "to bring together, into a compact and convenient form, as large an amount as possible of those English translations which are scattered through many volumes, and are not accessible to the general reader". [65] Both accounts state that Frances was taken to her room to recover, and a doctor was called. [53] In July 1839, he wrote to a friend: "Victory hangs doubtful. We strive for accuracy and fairness. [126], Margaret Fuller judged Longfellow "artificial and imitative" and lacking force. In 1845, he published The Poets and Poetry of Europe, an 800-page compilation of translations made by other writers, including many by his friend and colleague Cornelius Conway Felton. He studied at Bowdoin College and became a professor at Bowdoin and later at Harvard College after spending time in Europe. Devastated, Longfellow returned to the United States seeking solace. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. [62] His love for Fanny is evident in the following lines from his only love poem, the sonnet "The Evening Star"[63] which he wrote in October 1845: "O my beloved, my sweet Hesperus! [83] In 1874, Samuel Ward helped him sell the poem "The Hanging of the Crane" to the New York Ledger for $3,000; it was the highest price ever paid for a poem. After his wife’s death, he immersed himself in the translation of Dante’s The Divine Comedy, a monumental effort, published in 1867. [124] His accusations may have been a publicity stunt to boost readership of the Broadway Journal, for which he was the editor at the time. He served as a professor at Harvard University and was an adept linguist, traveling throughout Europe and immersing himself in European culture and poetry, which he emulated in his poetry. More by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow The Children's Hour Between the dark and the daylight, When the night is beginning to lower, Comes a pause in the day's … [33] It may have been joyless work. [135] As a friend once wrote, "no other poet was so fully recognized in his lifetime". He was heavily influenced by Romanticism and made a name as a poet and novelist with works like Hyperion, Evangeline, Poems on Slavery and The Song of Hiawatha. With the aid of opium and his friends and family who were with him, he endured the pain for several days before succumbing on March 24, 1882. Farm in Hiram, Maine, which caused him constant pain, and things are what... 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