THE VILLAGE BLACKSMITH TH HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW HE beginning, the working, and the finishing of a piece of work, cannot frequently be seen at a sitting. Such a sight when presented is always fascinating. The blacksmith's shop usually abounds in opportunities for observing this. A poet or a lecturer, working in a serious attempt at fashioning the lives of men, has a natural interest in such moulding of material things. As Longfellow watched the mechanical success of his friend, the village smith, recalled his sturdy independence, noted his cheerful philosophy as exhibited in his daily walk of life, his poet's heart wrought out the things set down for us in the following simple poem of which he wrote in his diary October 5, 1839: "Wrote a new Psalm of Life. It is The Village Blacksmith." It is a matter of keen interest to all, that the school children of Boston presented Longfellow with a beautiful carved chair made from the "spreading chestnuttree" which stood over the old blacksmith shop in Brattle Street, Cambridge. The chair is still preserved and proudly shown to thousands of visitors who visit the Longfellow home annually. THE VILLAGE BLACKSMITH Under a spreading chestnut-tree His hair is crisp, and black, and long, His brow is wet with honest sweat, And looks the whole world in the face, Week in, week out, from morn till night You can hear him swing his heavy sledge, And children coming home from school They love to see the flaming forge, And catch the burning sparks that fly Like chaff from a threshing-floor. He goes on Sunday to the church, He hears the parson pray and preach· Singing in the village choir, And it makes his heart rejoice. It sounds to him like her mother's voice, Singing in Paradise! He needs must think of her once more, How in the grave she lies; And with his hard rough hand, he wipes Toiling, rejoicing, sorrowing, Thanks, thanks to thee, my worthy friend, SUGGESTIVE EXERCISES 1. What are you made to see clearly in the first two stanzas? 2. What beautiful sounds are mentioned? 3. What beautiful sights? 4. How many of the smith's emotions does the poet describe? 5. Where is pathos introduced? 6. Where are things usually regarded as opposite characteristics shown to be closely allied? 7. Mention as many of the smith's characteristics as you can. 8. Are any of these the result of inference alone? 9. What are we shown that makes up the smith's life? 10. How many maxims that go to make up a rule for right living are we given? 11. Just what lesson was the poet taught by the smith? REFERENCES LONGFELLOW: From My Arm Chair. Keramos. WHITTIER: Cobbler Keezar's Vision. Among the Hills. W VIRTUE GEORGE HERBERT HEN Shakespeare was at the height of his literary powers, there lived and wrote a poet whose life was spirit-filled. He was a strict churchman, a devout follower of the lowly Nazarene, and a writer whose songs have inspired all well-doers to rise heavenward on the wings of adoration. His life rang true; and his genuine sincerity is stamped on all he wrote. His poetry sounds forth two great strains. The major strain is the immortality of the soul. The minor strain is the mortality of all things earthly. Henry Morley, the great English writer and critic says of him, "When the mind is fastened to George Herbert's verse we may think we've an angel by the wings." The following poem contains the essence of Herbert's teaching and is the briefest, tenderest, simplest, truest interpretation of the doctrine of the immortality of the soul yet found in English song and story. VIRTUE Sweet Day, so cool, so calm, so bright, Sweet Rose, whose hue, angry and brave, Thy root is ever in its grave, And thou must die. |