Commedia and an elaborate dramatic poem called Christus, a Mystery, which is perhaps the least pleasing or successful of his works. One should note especially the lyrics which appeal to the emotions such as The Bridge and The Day Is Done. These, if not characterized by strong imaginative power or passion, still do reach to the hearts of the people. As one reads them one is conscious of a gentle sincerity and an unpretentious music that makes them more appealing than many greater poems.

It is true that Longfellow lacked strong feeling and did not sound the deeper things of life, but on the other hand he had genuine poetic gifts. He had good taste, warm human emotion and sympathy, and the ability to express himself in clear and graceful verse. Taken for all in all, he will probably live as the poet who more than any other American, has brought home to the average reader the beauty and the helpfulness of good poetry. 37. The Skeleton in Armor. "The following ballad," says Longfellow, was suggested to me while riding on the sea-shore at Newport. A year or two previous a skeleton had been dug up at Fall River, clad in broken and corroded armor; and the idea occurred to me of connecting it with the Round Tower at Newport, originally known as the Old Windmill, though now claimed by the Danes as the work of their early ancestors." The skeleton, which was buried in a standing posture, was probably that of an Indian; the "lofty tower was almost certainly a windmill. But, as Longfellow points out, there are grounds enough to support the idea of the ballad.

"of old days,"

38, 1. I was a viking old! "Old" means "in old times." The Vikings were Scandinavian sea-adventurers, who reached the New England coast somewhere about the beginning of the eleventh century.

3. Skald. Minstrel.

4. Saga. Heroic poem.

12. gerfalcon. A species of hawk, trained for hunting game-birds.

38, 22. were-wolf's bark. The were-wolf was a creature, half human and half beast which was said in the middle ages to

inhabit the forests of Europe. He reached this country in the form of the "loup-garou” of the French habitants of Quebec, Canada. A large body of legend centres about the were-wolf.

26. a corsair's crew. The Vikings ranged, like corsairs or pirates, from the North Sea to the Mediterranean. The churches along the east coast of Britain in the tenth century had a prayer beginning: "Lord, deliver us from the fury of the Northmen."

39, 5. wassail-bout. Carousal, drinking-bout.

"berserk A

9. Berserk's tale. was a warrior who fought furiously, without armor. See note to 36: 29. Picture facing page 40. An ancient viking ship, in an excellent state of preservation, was discovered in 1880 at Gökstad, Norway. A study of this relic has given an accurate idea of the type. The viking ship was about 80 feet long, 16 feet wide and 6 feet deep. It was decked only at the bow and the stern, had seats for 17 rowers on each side and carried one mast. In these small craft the Norse seamen made long voyages, the most famous of which was that of Leif Ericson to the coast of America in the year 1000. 41, 10. skaw. Cape, headland.

43, 3. Skoal! "Good luck!" "Good health!" Expression used in drinking a health in Norway.

How has Longfellow secured vigor and swift movement in this poem?

43. A Psalm of Life. In spite of the obvious and somewhat confused metaphor, the simple sincerity of these lines has endeared them to thousands. Longfellow himself considered this one of his best poems.

Summarize, in a single sentence, the meaning of the poem. 44. The Wreck of the Hesperus. An entry in Longfellow's diary for December 17, 1839, gives an insight into his methods: 66 News of ship-wreck horrible on the coast. Twenty bodies washed ashore near Gloucester, one lashed to a piece of the wreck. There is a reef called Norman's Woe where many of these took place; among others the schooner Hesperus

write a ballad on this."

I must

The poem is modelled after the traditional ballad form. If

you are familiar with the old English ballads, comment upon the points of resemblance. Note, in particular, the phraseology and the use of the "ballad stanza."

Picture facing page 46. The painting from which this is taken hangs in the Tate Gallery in London. It is the work of the English marine artist Henry Scott Tuke, and is called: "All Hands to the Pumps!"

48. The Village Blacksmith was written about 1840, when Cambridge was a country village. The " village smithy" was not far from Longfellow's house.

What is the lesson the poet learns from the blacksmith?

Picture facing page 48. From the painting by Sir Edwin Landseer, the greatest English painter of animal life. The title is: "Shoeing the Bay Mare."

49, 51. The Day Is Done and The Bridge are very graceful and pleasing presentations of obvious thoughts and feelings. Can you explain, specifically, why they have always been especially liked by readers of Longfellow?

54. Hymn to the Night. The poet attempted in these lines to throw into poetic form the thoughts that came to him as he sat by an open window at midnight. The result is, as much as anything, a sense of repose and quiet strength.

Compare Shelley's To the Night.

55, 1. Orestes-like. Orestes was a hero in Greek legend who was pursued by the Furies because he had committed a terrible crime.

What consolation is offered by Night?

55. Sea-Weed. The five poems grouped together here show Longfellow's love of the sea. This first one contains a very obvious application to human life.

Do you see what it is? What part of the poem do you like best? Give your reasons.

8. the equinox. The time of year (March 21 and September 21) when the sun crosses the plane of the equator. The worst storms are said to occur at these seasons.

19. skerries. Small rocky islands, or reefs.

57. My Lost Youth. Longfellow here recalls the memories

of boyhood and expresses very beautifully the half-formed thoughts and fancies which come to a boy as he sees life opening before him. The poem is pervaded by the "magic of the sea." 14. Hesperides. The islands which, according to Greek mythology, lay beyond the western verge of the world and contained a wonderful garden filled with golden fruit.

58, 2. the fort upon the hill. Fort Lawrence. It was while lying there gazing at the sea that Longfellow thought of the idea for his poem.

10. the sea-fight far away. The engagement between the American brig Enterprise and the British brig Boxer, fought in Casco Bay during the War of 1812. Both captains were slain in the fight and were buried in Portland with full naval honors.

At what point does the poem change from memories of the past to the sadness of the present? What is the artistic value of such a change?

Comment upon the adjectives used in connection with the "Lapland song."

60. Sir Humphrey Gilbert. Soldier and navigator of Queen Elizabeth's day. In 1583 he made a voyage to Newfoundland, where he founded, at St. John's, the first English settlement in America. His ship, the Squirrel, sank in a storm on the return voyage.

What is the climax of this poem?

62. A Dutch Picture. During the early seventeenth century the Dutch and the Spaniards were at feud, and many incidents took place such as are here described.

4. singed the beard of the King of Spain. Burnt some of his ships. The expression was originally used by Sir Francis Drake when he reported to Queen Elizabeth in 1587 that he had burnt a number of Spanish war-ships collected in the harbor of Cadiz in preparation for the invasion of England.

5. Dean of Jaen. Governor of a province in the south of Spain.

7. Maese. A river in Holland. 19. listed tulips. Tulips set in rows. been noted for the cultivation of this plant.

Holland has long

63, 9. Rembrandt.

A famous Dutch painter whose pictures

show a masterly grouping of lights and shadows.

Show how the suggestion of the title is carried out..

64. A Ballad of the French Fleet. An excellent interpretation of the spirit of the old Puritan divine, with his virile faith in the personal intervention of the Almighty. D'Anville's fleet commissioned to destroy the English power on the Atlantic sea-board, was wrecked on Sable Island, one hundred miles south of Nova Scotia.

66, 1. a potter's vessel. See Psalms II,9.

8. with thine horses; etc. See Habakkuk III,8.

Comment upon the prayer of Mr. Thomas Prince, as indicating the personality of the speaker.

66, 67. Nature and Chaucer are two good examples of Longfellow's skill with the difficult sonnet type. The former is a beautiful simile of life and death; the latter a pleasantly adequate characterization of one of the greatest English poets.

What is the special fitness of the sonnet form to express the thought in both these instances?

67. The Republic. This is the closing portion of The Building of the Ship. It is a compact and vigorous piece of verse, conceived in a vein of noble patriotism.

Why is it appropriate to compare a nation to a ship? Comment upon the development of the metaphor.

68. Ultima Thule. The name given by the Romans to the land which lay at the outermost edge of their empire — the rugged islands north of their province of Caledonia (Scotland). To them Thule was a region of storms and gloom. The poem appeared in the last volume published during Longfellow's lifetime. The movement is straightforward and powerful; the thought rugged, closing upon a note of courage. This poem should without fail be compared with Emerson's Terminus, Landor's Old Age, Tennyson's Crossing the Bar, and Browning's Epilogue from Asolando. All these are the utterances of men