Part III (10) Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

HenryWadsworthLongfellowBornFeb.27,1807,Portland,Maine,U.S.;DiedMarch24,1882,Cambridge,Mass.;AnAmericanpoetandeducator.Longfellow’sBirthplaceInPortlandHenryWadsworthLongfellowLongfellowgraduatedfromBowdoinCollegeandtraveledinEuropebeforejoiningthemodern-languagefacultiesofBowdoin(1829–35)andHarvard(1836–54).HenryWadsworthLongfellowLongfellowpredominantlywrotelyricpoemswhichareknownfortheirmusicalityandwhichoftenpresentedstoriesofmythologyandlegend.HebecamethemostpopularAmericanpoetofhisdayandalsohadsuccessoverseas.Hehasbeencriticized,however,forimitatingEuropeanstylesandwritingspecificallyforthemasses.HenryWadsworthLongfellowHisVoicesoftheNight(1839),containingThePsalmofLifeandTheLightoftheStars,firstwonhimpopularity.BalladsandOtherPoems(1841),includingTheWreckoftheHesperusandTheVillageBlacksmith,sweptthenation,asdidhislongpoemEvangeline(1847).HenryWadsworthLongfellowMajorworks:VoicesoftheNight《夜吟》BalladsandOtherPoems(1841)《歌谣及其他》PoemsonSlavery(1842)Evangeline《伊凡吉林》TheCourtshipofMilesStandishandOtherPoems(1858)《迈尔斯·斯坦狄什的求婚》TheSongofHiawatha《海华沙之歌》Dante'sDivineComedy(Translation,1867)GraveofHenryWadsworthLongfellow,MountAuburnCemeteryAPsalmofLifeCompositiondate:July20,1839(Longfellowwas31then),publishedinVoicesoftheNight.Thelyricalformofthispoemisabab.Mr.Longfellowsaidofthispoem:`Ikeptitsometimeinmanuscript,unwillingtoshowittoanyone,itbeingavoicefrommyinmostheart,atatimewhenIwasrallyingfromdepression.'BeforeitwaspublishedintheKnickerbockerMagazine,October,1838,itwasreadbythepoettohiscollegeclassatthecloseofalectureonGoethe.APsalmofLifeItstitle,thoughusednowexclusivelyforthispoem,wasoriginally,inthepoet'smind,ageneric(属的；类的)one.Henotesfromtimetotimethathehaswrittenapsalm,apsalmofdeath,oranotherpsalmoflife.The`psalmist'isthusthepoethimself.Literally,thepsalmistisofcourseKingDavid.APsalmofLifeThisisaveryinspirationalpoem.Theconceptoflivingonlyinthepresentisaverydifficultthingforpeople,astheregretsofthepastandhopesofthefuturecanbeverytroublesomeandmisleadingattimes.Thispsalmbringsoutfeelingsofconfidence--strengthandbeliefinoneself.APsalmofLifeThemessageisveryclear.Justlive.Thepoetmakesthereaderfocusonthehereandnow.Don'tbehinderedbythefearofoncoming,certaindeath,orwhatevermistakesyoumayhavemadebefore,livebythesecondandonlyplanaheadthatfar.Thereisnoconcretepointinlife,nothingissureandsteady,sodon'tlivelikeitisgoingtobethatway.APsalmofLifeThispsalmistrulytheoutlookofthegenerationaftertheNapoleonicwars,100yearsbeforeWW1.Makeoflifewhatyoucan,strivetoaccomplishyourdreams,workhardforselfgratification,learntoloveandtobeloved.ForGodhasgivenusagift,andnottomakethemostoflifeisaSINandawaste.TheSlave’sDreamApoempublishedinPoemsonSlavery,acollectionofpoemswrittentodemonstrateLongfellow'sapprovaloftheabolitionistmovement,motivatedbyhisUnitarianbeliefs.ThecollectionisdedicatedtoWilliamElleryChanning,andLongfellowallowstheNewEnglandAnti-SlaveryTractSocietytoreprintanddistributethepoemsfreely.TheSlave’sDreamBycomparingthetwokindsoflivestheslavelivedinhisnativelandAfricaandhereinAmericaandbydepictingtheslave’sdeath,thepoembreathesLongfellow’sindignationattheshamefulandinfamoussystemofslavery.MyLostYouthLongfellow’sboyhoodwasspentmostlyinhisnativetown,Portland,Maine,whichheneverceasedtolove,andwhosebeautifulsurroundingsandquiet,purelifehehasdescribedinhispoemMyLostYouth(1855,collectedinTheCourtshipofMilesStandish,1858).Herehegrewupinthemidstofmajesticpeace,whichwasbutoncebroken,andthatbyaneventwhichmadeadeepimpressiononhimtheWarof1812.Heneverforgot...MyLostYouththesea-fightfaraway,Howitthunderedo'erthetide,AndthedeadcaptainsastheylayIntheirgraveso'erlookingthetranquilbay,Wheretheyinbattledied.ThetranquilbayisCascoBay,oneofthemostbeautifulintheworld,studdedwithbold,greenislands,wellfittedtobetheHesperidesofapoet'sboyishdreams.MyLostYouthInnine-linestanzas,whosemeterisreminiscentofballadmeasure,thepoemrecallsthepoet’syouthinPortland,Maine.EachstanzaendswiththerefrainofaLaplandsongAboy'swillisthewind'swill,/Andthethoughtsofyoutharelong,longthoughts.Thetwolinesarerepeatedineachstanzainawaywhichisinlinewithitscontentandmood.ThetitleofFrost’scollectionABoy’sWillisderivedfromthispassage.TheSongofHiawathaTheSongofHiawathaisan1855epicpoembyHenryWadsworthLongfellowbasedonthelegendsoftheOjibwayIndians.ItisthefirstepicofIndianswritteninAmerica.TheSongofHiawathaThepoemitselfwaspublishedonNovember10,1855andwasanimmediatesuccess.Longfellowcreditedashissourcetheworkofpioneeringethnographer(民族志学者,人种学者)HenryRoweSchoolcraft,specificallySchoolcraft'sAlgicResearchesandHistory,ConditionandProspectsoftheIndianTribesoftheUnitedStates.TheSongofHiawathaDescriptionIntentionallyepicinscope,LongfellowhimselfdescribeditasthisIndianEdda（埃达，古冰岛诗歌手稿）,andwroteitinthesamemeterastheFinnishfolk-epic,TheKalevala（《英雄的国土》，芬兰史诗,由EliasLonnrot根据民间传说编写,1835年初版）.TheSongofHiawathaTheconnectionsbetweenthepoemandtheKalevalawereneveracknowledgedbyLongfellow,andwerethesubjectofscholarlydebateuntilwellintothe1960s.TheSongofHiawathaTheSongunfoldsale