Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, (1807–1882) the most popular poet of his day, helped shape America’s national character with works such as Paul Revere’s Ride, The Song of Hiawatha, The Village Blacksmith, and The Wreck of the Hesperus. After his wife Frances died from burns sustained after her dress caught fire, he was too devastated to write poetry and instead concentrated on translation; he was the first American to translate Dante’s Divine Comedy. In his eulogy for his friend, Ralph Waldo Emerson characterized Longfellow as “a sweet and beautiful soul.”
WORKS THAT HAVE APPEARED IN NARRATIVE:
- Holidays, poetry, in Poems of the Week: 2014–2015